Parents Again Part 1 free porn video

Two families on two coasts, tied together through years of friendship and understanding. They each had money, but also had something in common: neither could conceive children. One was a transgender couple, the other saw the husband losing his testicles due to cancer. Jaimie Samuels was transgender and happy to be so. She lost her testicles when she was 12, the result of an attack on her by a badly abused boy who feared his father's wrath more than going to jail. She forgave him and befriended him, becoming his closest confidant and helping her endure in secret four years of constant abuse from a single angry classmate who turned out to be jealous of Jaimie for being herself and working hard to better her life instead of coasting by on of her family's vast wealth. George Daniels was the unfortunate victim of a fast-acting cancer. His family had the sad indignity of suffering cancer every other generation, with his father's side of the family getting hit hard by it. It was too fast to save semen, when he discovered that he had it it was at the point that he had to undergo an immediate round of chemotherapy making him unable to save viable semen for fathering kids. Both George and Jaimie were parents. George fathered two girls, born in 2022 and 2024, so he had done his biological need in continuing his family line. Jaimie's husband Rick fathered a child born in 2021, but it wasn't a pleasant situation for all involved as the little girl was the result of a rape of both father and her biological mother- a woman who would become Jaimie's elder sister. Still, after years of being unable to have children and their own young children growing into teenagers, their biological clocks started ticking. Jaimie looked at her husband for answers, with Rick telling her, "I am happy to open our home to a child. I am hoping to help one who is like you so she or he can be in a safe place with someone who understands them." George saw his wife Jenna's look of longing as she saw their friends having children over the course of the previous decade and asked her if she wanted to foster a child so her need to be a mother was filled. It caused her to cry, with George offering a somber, "I love you and hate that I can't give you what you need. I know you want to be a mother again, this is the only alternative that doesn't cause people to give you crap for my not being able to father your child." The two couples embraced, unknowingly setting in motion events that would lead to both fulfilling the need in the other and giving both families the missing pieces in their lives. It would also set in motion a series of changes to the Samuels family, ones that were years in the making but needed. Jaimie would be returning home for the first time since going to medical school, the famous Finn Family had finally been able to get back together as one. March 2037 Jaimie Samuels had been a doctor for nearly ten years, and a psychiatric specialist for seven. She had a strong devotion to her job, but lately she had been feeling a longing for more than just being children's voice of reason in a tumultuous time. She had deal with children who were schizophrenic, psychotic, and a number of other mental health issues but her main focus was on being a gender specialist. That in itself was the toughest among the child psychiatry fields as it was the most scrutinized and the one that altered not only the children's minds, but their bodies as well. Being like them helped ease a lot of their issues as she understood them, but it still took a lot to gain their trust and show them that she was trying to help them. Over time, it started to wear on her and she felt that she wasn't making a big enough dent as she saw more and more kids helped but most just needed confirmation- not life saving. Back east, she was kept up to date on her friends and siblings' antics and was happy to learn all about the kids and their budding love lives. Seeing her own daughter Sylvia growing to a mature young lady had her smiling as she was her father's daughter in all ways and was happy to be his little angel even if she was starting to become a handful now that boys took notice of her. It was tough to weed through the boys who wanted her because she was a girl that they liked or wanted her because she had money, a constant issue with Sylvia as her family was known to be loaded thanks to her grandparents' money. Jaimie and Rick had money that had been mostly untouched after buying their Bel Air home. The two had opted to live on their salaries and avoid touching their trust funds unless they had to, with the trust funds tied directly into the family's production company, Inferno Pictures, as well as Jaimie's pride and joy- the Finn Group. It was a charity that helped people become their true selves, specifically becoming men and women or in rare cases having life-altering surgery to remove birth defects or increase busts. The latter was something included due to the begging of her mentor Ana Gomez, who struggled with a lot of young women who were suicidal due to their breasts being too small and who were tormented by family over being small breasted. It was a rare consolation but it did lead to a dozen women getting the chance to be themselves and start over without their pasts hurting them. It was lucrative as several of the women went on to marry rich husbands and wives and donated several hundred thousand dollars to the charity so that more like them could be helped- just as Ana had hoped would happen in the end. The Samuels family were "Well-off" but were treated like pariahs by neighbors as they never flaunted their wealth and looked out of place in their neighborhood. In truth, they were the most stable among the neighbors as none of them were debt free, owned their homes outright, and didn't live paycheck to paycheck relying on their reputations and what they had coming in the future to hold off debt collectors and bank foreclosures. The couple didn't care about what they looked like to anyone else, in fact they were happy to be neighbors to two families that they knew well and who were in the same solid footing financially as them: the Walsh and Meyer families. Both moved into the neighborhood after their movies hit it big, movies that Jaimie happened to be the co-producer of due to Inferno Pictures funding them. The profits from the movies that Brice Walsh and Lee Meyer wrote and directed paid for all three homes, with Jaimie being forced to accept the home as a rare extravagant purchase. It was for the best, she had a safe and secure home and her family had a place to go to whenever they were in California- which was pretty frequent for some of her friends. She reluctantly moved in and fell in love with the two families. The Walshes enjoyed having someone who understood their children while Sylvia enjoyed having someone who worshiped her as "Little Lee" Walsh did with her. It was the closest she had to family out in California, so being like a big cousin to the little boy gave her a sense of pride and something to do on weeknights during school. As time went on, Sylvia grew to be like another niece to the two families. She enjoyed often playing with Brice's nieces and nephews, giving his youngest nephews their first kisses and first crushes. She did like them, but she chose to not date them due to not wanting to hurt them if they broke-up. When the Walshes became grandparents in 2032, Sylvia looked up at her parents with longing eyes and tried hard to get them to become parents again like Brice's daughter- by surrogate. When she brought up how her Aunt Anita had done it three times and even gotten lucky to become a mom a fourth time by her sister begging her to adopt her son, the couple had to find any way possible to deny Sylvia's plea for siblings. There was no escaping her charms, she knew she'd win eventually even if it took years. As time wore on, she let up on them being parents again as she got into the usual middle school and high school antics. By sophomore year, she was ready to go at them again- this time, with help. She had her aunts and uncles to help her, with her Aunt Cat hot on her heels as Cat herself was ready to become a mom and wanted her sister and brother-in- law to experience it again. Sylvia plotted and pleaded with her family for help, but only Cat was willing to do it and even then it was only if Sylvia did the groundwork first. She was being smart, if it backfired then only Sylvia would be to blame while Cat got away without punishment. That would be severe punishment as her husband Gavin was also Rick's younger brother making what Sylvia was doing double-trouble since both sides of the family would be impacted if Cat's involvement was known. By January, she let her parents know that she had had enough of their stalling and it was time to be the parents that they needed to be. She had her father's defiant look, to which he told her, "No. We talked about it and we will be fostering a child instead of having another one. It's for the best, there are kids who need homes. We love you deeply, but raising a baby is a lot of work. I'm sorry, honey, but it's for the best that we foster instead of use a surrogate and donor." She was in tears but her father's logic overruled her cunning ways. She called Cat to tell her the news, with Cat sighing and accepting that their plans were for naught. She didn't notice that Gavin was also on the phone, with Gavin telling Rick, "They are upset but they accept that it's for the good of a kid. She loves you enough to accept that you want to help others, even if she's feeling the pangs of not having a little brother or sister to love. She's at least a cousin, so it's not like she's all alone." Rick felt the sting of that, to which Gavin shot back, "It might be time to move back east. I know you are holding onto what you have out there, but if it's hurting you to not see Thomas' kids or talk with Al about having one then it might be time to pull up stakes and return home. We know that she has a lot of commitments to patients but there has to come a time when she has to think about herself. She misses her friends, she misses the kids growing up. Mom and dad miss her, so do pop and ma." That night, in bed, Rick approached Jaimie about possibly moving back home to Winnisimmet, MA to be with their families. She gave him a look of horror, to which he sighed and told her, "The kids will be alright without you. You aren't the go-to person for emergencies, Ana Gomez has always been. You are just a publicity piece for the hospital, they won't use you for that reason. You are stagnant there, they want you solely because you are transgender and not because you are helping kids." She sighed and agreed, she explained to him, "I keep getting offers from Aunt Alison to join her. I think I might have to take her up on her offer. She has wanted me to takeover Gina Allen's patients so she can retire, it's probably time to do so. My contract is up anyway, I won't renew. But what about you?" He looked away in shame and added, "I got a job offer from Uncle Ricardo to be their new contract law partner. Ma wants to back away from things now that JD's garage is earning a profit and Cat and Gavin are settled in their own home. She's running for city council to replace Grunkle Louis, he hasn't yet told anyone but he simply can't do it anymore. Ma is his hand-picked replacement." Jaimie knew what all of that meant: they were going east to live again and were going to be alright, the family were thriving on their own and everyone was doing well. She asked about his siblings, with him sighing and telling her, "Thomas is struggling to not get overwhelmed at work, Al is Al and does what she wants and has a ball being a boring risk assessment investigator for her insurance company, and Gavin is keeping Cat in check but has a strong inkling that he'll end up editing her books if not others as the publisher starts to see his work sell." The next day, Rick gave his notice to his bosses that he was resigning to take a job with his family back east. Jo and Phyllis Kaplan understood what he was doing, the elderly ladies were themselves ready to retire and were handing off the firm to their children. Rick was going to be named a senior partner, but his departure allowed them to appoint the cousins as equals instead of fighting for control with him. He spent the morning working with the Kaplans on transferring majority ownership to the twins' sons and daughters as the four children would be elevated to senior partners while the other senior partners were bought- out or forced to resign due to issues with the new management. Rick would sell back his junior partnership, with the message clear: it was a family business again. With no non-family junior partners, Kaplan and Kaplan was true to its name as a family-owned and operated law firm. During lunch, the Kaplans broke the news to their children and saw them asking if Rick was going to be retained. He was quick to tell them that he was leaving and why, with none of the younger Kaplans having any retort nor problem with his departure. He might not have agreed with them most of the time but Rick had no issues with the younger Kaplans nor did they see fit to burn bridges with him. Across town, Jaimie did the same at her hospital. She was discouraged by the chief resident from doing that, but Jaimie stood her ground. When Jaimie was threatened with having her career destroyed, she shot back, "This is why it's time to leave. I'm not beholden to you- you passed me over for promotion to the head of child psychiatry three years in a row then threaten me. At the same time, you have touted me as a 'leader in the field of child psychiatry' yet have held me back from getting close to any patients who didn't bring you in thousands in donations. I have a standing offer from my aunt to work with her in an environment where I can actually make a difference. I have an already established clientele that I will be taking over thanks to a colleague asking me to replace her. I am stagnant here, there I can do a lot of good for people who need me and not for people who just need someone to tell them that they are alright. I'm not your property, you don't own me. If I didn't have to help establish my replacement I'd resign in disgust this second!" She walked out, handed in her resignation effective July 1st, then started her day. She fielded multiple calls from the hospital's department heads complaining about her causing them issues but she stood her ground and refused to back away from her resignation. If they were having issues, it was their own fault as she had no contact with them at all at their own request- she was just the headshrinker, not 'one of the real doctors' as several of them pointed out to her during her rounds. After her shift finished, Jaimie met with her mentor and friend, Ana Gomez, and confessed to her, "I'm so stupid. I should have seen it years ago: I'm just their 'token tranny' as a couple of them called me. I'm so dumb. I really am too trusting. I wanted this job to be one that I could help children, instead it's the opposite: I'm only helping adults. I trust you and our colleagues in psychiatry, but this hospital is what I feared my profession would be. I'm just someone to show off, I'm not a valued employee." She vented while Ana offered her a solemn, "Your biggest attribute is your unwavering empathy towards children and what they have going on. You've lived through the worst: nearly dying, losing loved ones, losing part of your body, losing who you thought you were. You are what others aren't, it's what makes you a great doctor and amazing psychiatrist- especially with kids. The children needed you, even if it was mostly just rubberstamping what we already suspected. A lot of our job is doing that, even with the 'normal' patients. We can't help but feel a special feeling for children, they are innocents. You did your job and you did it better than anyone could have hoped. But I hate to tell you this: you aren't chief of psychiatry material. You aren't political, you aren't budget-minded: you are patient-oriented. It's why I am resigned to being head of general psychiatry and not chief, I'm just not chief material." At home, Rick told Jaimie about his day then saw him furious at the hospital's actions towards her. He had to quell his anger when Sylvia entered, with the girl demanding to know what was going on. She waited for an answer, with Jaimie finally summoning the courage to tell her, "We are moving east this summer. We aren't happy out here and miss the family. It's not easy on you missing out on so many of your cousins' fun and only seeing them when they fly out here or you spend the summer out there. We are happy to go home, it's been far too long. I'm sorry if it affects your friendships, but the Walshes and the Meyers will always be in your life. Lee's becoming a great man like his father, he has a bunch of lifelong friends thanks to you. You might have had a crush on him, but he's always going to be the first boy who liked you for you and gave you a memorable first date." Across the country, a similar story was playing out as Jenna and George watched their friends' kids go about their daily lives and grow into young teens. George hated that he couldn't give Jenna another kid but didn't want her to suffer the indignity of people accusing her of "cheating" on George for using the sperm of a donor. The truth didn't matter to people, all they cared about were rumors and George's not being able to "do the deed" was huge fodder for rumors that would destroy their family and reputations. Emily and Tracy were beautiful girls who took after Jenna in their beauty but after their father in their strong personalities. Emily was 15 and Tracy 13, with both girls developing at a faster rate than their father would have liked. Seeing them with boys their own age made George devolve into a caveman as he tired desperately to think of ways of keeping his beloved daughters from boys with bad intentions. Jenna loved that about George, especially as the girls loved that he cared enough about them to not do it when their friends were over. He didn't draw the line at family, any boy their age was subject to the "dad test" as they dubbed his actions, with both girls angrily telling him to back off from the boys. It was even worse when he did it to Simon Bollinger, the poor boy loved Emily deeply and endured the "dad test" every time he came by as Emily figured out that he liked her as more than a friend early on. Being his father's son, Simon endured the abuse from George for the sake of his beloved Emily, but it was also something more that brought George to act that way: Simon was John Finn's great-nephew so had the main branch of their family watching the couple to see where it went. As the patriarch, he had to keep the peace and with Simon taking after both of his parents it was a touchy subject among them. He wasn't afraid to go after the adults to defend himself from them, but also respected them enough to back away and let them handle situations even if he lost face among the teens. Incidentally, Simon found solace in his 2nd-cousin Sylvia. The duo had a lot in common and weren't in the mood to deal with their families nor their issues at times but didn't like to tell anyone that they were bothering them. She confided in him how much she wanted someone to love as a sibling while he had a lot of anger at everyone putting him under the microscope for liking Emily. Their parents were well-aware of what they were doing, with their fathers knowing to back away from the situations as the kids would sort themselves out at a later point. The duo had to fight grins as they were so much alike yet were their own people, with Simon all but being his father in body but his mom in personality and looks. Sylvia was her mother in personality and father in looks, even if she wasn't a biological daughter of Jaimie- to everyone who knew her, she was exactly like her in personality. The calls between the cousins were getting more and more frequent, showing just why the move back east was needed. Emily and Sylvia talked weekly and saw Sylvia directing Emily to stick with Simon no matter what, even if George didn't like him. She understood the meaning, Sylvia was telling her that it was going to work out and everyone saw that Simon loved her as more than a boyfriend. Jenna and Emily had long discussions about Simon and her feelings for him. The two weren't officially a couple, but everyone could see that they were more than just "friends" as they claimed. It was hard to see her little girl growing up, but recalling how she was at the same age, Jenna sighed and knew that it was the same age that she fell in love with George. Tracy kept away from her sister's drama, but offered Emily an ear when Jenna was stuck working late. Despite being polar opposites in personality, the two were still sisters and Tracy couldn't help but be the ear that Emily needed at times. They clashed almost daily, but both were always there for one another and kept the other from getting too obsessed with boys or schoolwork. Jenna was smart in pushing them together, they needed one another even if they didn't show it. The two were growing closer as sisters, they just didn't know it. It was something that she hoped would happen at some point, but sadly it took one of them falling in love to make it happen. The girls growing older caused her pangs of feeling old. She was 35 years old, she hated to think that it was past her prime but seeing people that she had gone to high school with and kids whose diapers she had changed becoming parents made her feel like she was getting up there in years. It wasn't helped that she was seeing people who were young teenagers giving birth to children and giving them up to the state so they could have lives or the children could be free of parents who didn't love them. Work was getting tougher on her mentally as she grew more and more upset at how life was passing her by while she was stagnant. Her daughters were growing up and not needing mom much anymore, her husband was engrossed in work to the point of being on the move most days and barely able to get back home at night before another problem hit him. She was feeling lonely, oddly it was a feeling that she had not believed that she could feel- yet she was feeling it. Work was getting tougher and tougher for her as she took over the Salem office from her mother-in-law Chloe when Chloe was promoted to director of the Department of Children and Families(DCF) eastern region. It was a major promotion, but it was fraught with problems as she clashed with multiple people with agendas that didn't fit with what DCF was supposed to do. She didn't play politics and wasn't of the belief that you used your job to force your views on others, which was something that her staff had found hard to understand as many tried hard to force her to accept "race based placement" or that being transgender was a reason to disqualify someone from fostering children or worse- that being allowed to transition was seen as abuse of a child despite laws protecting their rights to transition. Her assistant at the office was Jessica Vincent, someone who had known Jenna since 8th grade and who was the perfect counter to her as both were of the same beliefs but Jessica had a softer hand with the way people acted and reacted. The two were a team for good reason: they got solid results and were not afraid to go toe to toe with abusers and people who supported them- especially those politically backed. Jenna and Jessica cleaned-up their office and had spent years working to rebuild others before Jenna had gotten the promotion that would shake the department to its core in taking the Salem post. Jessica refused to take the job, it was Jenna's to have as Jessica was more than happy to work with her than direct others to where they should be going on their own. Jenna was following in her mother's and mother- in-law's footsteps in her hard work, with Anne Connors proudly touting Jenna as one of the few who could do the job as a social worker and not care about what would happen to her future as all that mattered to her were the people she was supposed to be looking after. Jenna was good at her job and if anyone disagreed they need only look at her constant praise from children and parents she encountered. Work was wearing Jenna down. After 13 years as a social worker and 10 years after earning a master's degree in social work, Jenna was burned- out and struggling to find reason to continue on. Jessica had to pull her together most days as the grind of running the office wore her down. The girls growing "too old for mom" only made her mental state deteriorate, with Jessica afraid that it might get to the point of her doing something drastic. She needed to do something different, she needed time away from the office. Chloe agreed and put Jessica in charge of running the Salem office while the exhausted Jenna was put on a month-long sabbatical. As Jenna was preparing to spend a month away from work, down in Brockton a little boy named Mario was finding out that his life was changing forever. His grandparents had just passed away after a long battle with a nasty disease, with Mario being sent to foster care as none of his other relatives wanted him thanks to years of his parents using them to get money and drugs then refusing to pay them back. He was all alone and looking at a long 10 years of loneliness and neglect. His parents were involved in a criminal gang that used a courier company to move drugs into and out of the country and who used Mario as a means of keeping the police at bay. When that business went under due to being bought out by competitors, they tried to use Mario to get citizenship but found that it wasn't allowed due to their criminal actions. With no way of staying and no money to support each other, the couple gave up Mario to his grandparents and fled to their home country with their money. Mario was a normal kid, but his parents' activities scared any potential foster parents. He was shuffled from one home to another where he was constantly abused by parent after parent, foster child after foster child, until his social worker was at wits end. He sought out Jessica for help, they had known one another for a decade and started out together in the Brockton office alongside Jenna. Thinking about Jenna's burnout, Jessica called Jenna to ask her to do them a favor and house Mario as it was impossible to find anyone to take him in. Jenna wasn't afraid to stand up to people who tried to go after her or George, and George was more than happy to fight back against anyone who threatened his family. Being the son of a federal agent and former state trooper, George feared nobody. Jenna asked for the specifics of Mario's case, with his social worker explaining, "His parents were two of the main owners of one of the biggest couriers in the Boston area. Your father-in-law shut down the company six months ago, with Mario being caught in the middle as he was used as bait to keep him and his team away from them. When they faced tax issues they tried to use him as an excuse for not paying taxes on the company then tried to claim that the company was in his name thus they weren't at fault. It wasn't believed by the judge or the IRS agents. The couple skipped the country after arraignment, with the boy put into care of his grandparents. Unfortunately, they both passed away leaving him in our care. It's been rough for him, he's been sick due to catching what his grandparents had. He's been in and out of the hospital so much that no family wants to house him. When he wasn't sick he was abused by his foster parents and foster children. We have tried to find placements with the other offices but nobody wants to take him in due to his issues. The real reason isn't that, they won't say it but it's clear from their allusions: they fear his parents and those they worked for. There's nowhere else to go, we are hoping that you'd be able to house him until we found someone who'd house him." Jenna's reaction was what Jessica had hoped to have: she was starting to feel for the boy and knew that it was going to lead to her helping no matter what. Jenna sighed and told him, "I'll help. I have time off so I have no excuse for not helping him until you find him a permanent placement." She was given the paperwork to sign and left to pickup her new foster child. Mario was scared when he saw Jenna, but her hug got him to calm down. She felt for him, something in him appealed to her. The two drove to the Daniels home and saw Jenna having to explain to her mother Anne just what she was doing with a little boy in her care. Mario grew scared, to which Jenna explained to Anne, "He's in need of a place to live and Jessica all but forced me to house him until he is able to go to another home. I can't say no, I want to help him. I don't have anything else to do now that I'm forced out of the job." Anne led them inside and asked how they were going to handle things. Jenna smirked as she told her mother, "The girls wanted more space so I think they can share the attic- it's big enough for two rooms. I think Mario will be fine in Tracy's old room, with Emily's room being an office/guest bedroom." Anne nodded, then added, "The girls could make due with a new bathroom. It's going to be tight but the two don't need a bathtub. I think a guest bedroom is fine, you know how their cousins are." Mario was asked about school, with the boy looking down in shame. Jenna offered him a somber, "It's alright, we've dealt with schools before and have a lot of clout in this city so you will be alright going to school here. I know a few kids who'd protect you from issues with others if you have trouble." He didn't respond to that, but Jenna didn't expect him to. She started to make phone calls and got what she needed from his former school and setup a meeting the next day with his new principal. It was just a few minutes of work but to Mario it felt like forever as he saw someone holding his life in her hands. Jenna finished and told Mario that he was all set to go to school the next day, but first they had to do a bit of shopping to get him some properly fitting clothes. He blushed at that, with Anne adding, "Just the basics. The grapevine will ensure that he has the boys' castoffs. You know the kids won't hesitate to be big cousins to him if given half a chance, especially Ryder. Lord knows, he's his mother's son!" Jenna drove the reluctant boy to the mall to shop, getting him five sets of clothes as well two pairs of pajamas. He tried to say that he didn't need all of that stuff, but Jenna happily told him, "It's needed. You need a change of clothes every day. What you have is likely too small for you. You'll have a couple of more sets coming from Ryder. He's a great kid, he'll help you get adjusted to living with us and give the other kids a chance to get used to you living with us. Don't be afraid of him, he's a nice boy." Mario was reluctant to try on anything, with Jenna having to coax him into pants, shirts, shoes, and the two jackets that he ended up needing as she discovered his old one was too thin for the weather. It was a tough three hours, but he slowly accepted that Jenna wanted to help him and not force him to work it off for him. He was grateful for the clothes, especially as they looked nice and made him feel "normal." When she got him into the car to head home, he confessed to her about his parents and what they did to him over the years. He tearfully told her, "Mom and dad hated that I wasn't going to get them money as I wasn't disabled and they made too much money. They wouldn't buy me clothes or toys or take me to places. Mom and dad hated having me, I made them have to stop acting like they were kids and could do what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it. Grandma told me that they hoped that I would be taken away from them so they didn't have to be their son. I just wanted mom and dad. I hate not having a mom and dad. Nobody wants me, everyone only sees me as a way to make money." The crux of the matter was exposed, he was a good kid but he was like so many kids born to immature people: he was a reminder that they were no longer young. He didn't ask to be born, he didn't ask to be a child who needed parents. He was a sweet boy who just wanted to be loved by someone. Jenna hugged and kissed him, calming him and showing him that she wasn't going to do that to him. He was safe with her and George, he wasn't going to have to do anything to earn what should come natural to him as a child. He'd only have to work to get what he wanted, just like most other kids his age: by doing chores and doing well in school. She smiled at him and explained that, with him hugging her to show that he appreciated being told the truth. He was silent throughout the day, never speaking unless she asked him something. When they got back home, Jenna asked if he had spoken with a counselor at all about what was happening to him since he was abandoned to his grandparents. He looked down in shame and told her, "My school tried to get me to speak with someone but grandpa couldn't take me to the doctor. It was in Boston, too far for us. The buses line is too long for him. He said his heart couldn't handle sitting that long." Jenna understood, then explained, "You should see one. I'll ask Aunt Alison if she knows one. You may need to see Dr. Dane, but I think I'll send you to my sister first. She's a child psychologist." She called her sister Paige to tell her first that she was fostering Mario, then to ask her to help him by talking with him. Paige jumped at the chance to help, asking Jenna to bring the boy up to her home in Bradford so they could have a one-on-one while Paige's twins were out with their father for the day. It was also followed by Jenna telling her not to go overboard, Mario was staying quiet about something and didn't need her prodding him and getting him upset because she kept asking about his family life. When George got home, he was told about what Jenna had done and saw him hug her tight for being an angel in helping Mario. She had to hold back tears, with George telling her that it was for the best and he was proud that she was doing what her own mother had done for her sisters years before. He grinned at saying that, it had been 19 and a half years but it was an event that changed her family forever. Mario heard George enter and was scared of what he'd say to him. George went over to him and picked him up into a deep hug, with Mario hugging him back despite not knowing why he was being hugged. George grinned and told the little boy, "We'll go easy on the introductions but get ready to meet a lot of people who want you to be happy here with us. We don't know where this will lead, but until you feel like you can't live with us you can stay here." The girls spent the night at a sleepover at their cousin Violet's house giving Jenna and George the night off. They thought that it was going to give them a chance to, "Enjoy" one another, but Mario being there meant they'd have to hold off. The girls were being nice in joking that they'd get a little brother or sister out of it, with George and Jenna grinning at their text as Mario silently watched TV with them. Jenna snapped a quick picture and added, "Your wish was granted" leading them to immediately call the duo to get an answer about who the new boy was. When Jenna told them they screamed with delight, causing Violet and their cousins to demand to know what happened leading to the girls texting their parents with the news. Violet's mother Christina wisely told them, "She got tricked into it by your aunt Jessica. You all know that she needed a break from work, well he's giving her that." The girls kept quiet after that, it was something none of them wanted to talk about as it was something that all of their parents were upset about. Jenna burning-out scared them, if she was burning-out then it could happen to any of their parents too. Violet's mom was the one everyone felt was the most likely to burnout due to the pressures of running the Finn Foundation for Christina's father-in-law, it was tough to do and required a lot of talking to people who were interested in hurting her family to gain wealth as well as influence throughout the greater Boston region. The girls hugged Emily and Tracy tight as the duo realized that they might become big sisters like their cousins, with the girls hoping that Mario stayed with them if he helped Jenna to get back to normal and be the mom that she used to be before work wore her down. The girls loved the idea of having a brother especially as it gave their dad something to be proud of- a boy to do guy things with, a boy to take after him in sports, and a boy to carry on his family name. Mario fell asleep on the couch and found himself curling up in Jenna's lap. George grinned as the little boy hugged her when she lifted him up to head to his bed. It was clear that he needed her affection and was trying hard to give it to her while he himself soaked up her affection in return. He offered Jenna a sleepy kiss as she laid him down, with Jenna hiding her tears as he gave her another motherhood moment that she had missed when the girls got too old to be affectionate with her. When the couple went to bed, George asked if she was alright, to which she dreamily told him, "I like what he is doing to me. I like being mom to him. I like having someone need me. I love the girls, but it's not the same- they are older and have always been independent, he is young and needs people to love him." George agreed and added, "Fostering is one thing, but it's not the same as parenting. He needs parents, he needs love. If you feel like you can't live without him in our lives, we'll ask to adopt him. This isn't a move to take lightly, but it's hard to not follow in the footsteps of our aunts and uncles and your mom." Jenna drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Mario being her son, with George texting his dad to tell him what they had just done and what Jenna was feeling. Mike Daniels grinned and texted back a happy, "It was what she needed. Pride and fear prevented her for having another baby even if she should ignore it all, he'll give you what she needs. Motherhood suits her, even she didn't give birth to him." 3,000 miles away, two boys were in a massive brawl at school trying hard to flee for their lives from a group of older boys intent on harming them. One was nine years old, the other was eight. They were a couple of pariahs in their school for their antics, with the two trying hard to be what they weren't. Levi was the elder of the brothers and effeminate to the point of having long hair and being mistaken for a girl by anyone who didn't know him, Eli was the younger and overly protective brother who tried his hardest to keep his brother in check while trying hard to be overly masculine. Eli was often in the midst of fighting in their school and would battle anyone who went after Levi no matter how big they were even if it guaranteed that he'd get himself beaten to a pulp by the larger boys. That day saw Levi being surrounded by a group of 5th grade boys who wanted to make an example of him to their school by showing that there was a limit to how girly boys would be "allowed" to act there before they "required straightening out" by them to get them to act like "proper boys" and not "sissy freaks". Eli jumped into the fray and took out half of the boys in a matter of seconds before other boys joined him to help save Levi, inciting a riot that required the police to quell and saw the two boys being expelled from school for their actions. Levi and Eli were blamed by the principal, Levi was innocent but his refusal to change his behavior to get the boys off of his back gave the principal cause to do the worst and get rid of him before he caused more problems. Eli was expelled due to constant fights, despite protecting his brother and other boys the fact that was the one to throw the first punches put all blame on him even if that punch was preceded by being push after push by boys trying to provoke him. The two were led away by officers, none of the officers said anything but it was felt that the two were doing what so many orphan kids did: act out to get attention. It was all a plea for attention, even if it may have been more than that with Levi. The two were orphaned six months before when their parents died in a car accident while they were on a cross-country trip, leaving the boys without family. Being former foster kids themselves there was no family to help them out. They were on their own and had nobody but themselves to fall back on. The kids were sent to their foster home then shuttled off to their next destination: a group home for the worst cases and kids who had nowhere else to go. The two had burned through all of the foster homes in the region that would house two kids with their issues, the only place left was a group home that had nothing but older kids with criminal backgrounds and sexually promiscuous pasts. The boys faced the worst of the worst but thankfully for them, the kids weren't interested in the two in any way. Things only got worse for the boys as the next day they faced down a larger group of boys while they were en-route to a meeting with their social worker. Levi took a serious beating during the fight, with Eli getting restrained while the boys beat Levi until his face was left broken and jaw unhinged. Eli then had the boys kick him hard to the point that his ribs cracked and his face broke like Levi's did. It was bloody and bad, with their social worker screaming for help as the two bled on the sidewalk. The two were taken away by ambulance but faced police inquiry as to why they walked the wrong way to the office and crossed the parking lot that they were attacked in, with the social worker trying hard to not admit that she was part of the whole event. She was relieved of the boys while a new social worker was appointed, with officers telling her that the would be in contact with her again so not to leave town. Time passed slowly for the boys, they were in and out of surgery for a week as they dealt with repairing their cheeks, noses, Levi's jaw and Eli's ribs. They were kept sedated for their own safety as they were in constant pain, with both unable to move much due to the jaw and rib injuries. Both were awoken on the fifth day in the hospital, with their new social worker telling them that they were trying hard to find a place for them but they couldn't find a home due to the issues with Levi being too much for most. Levi wailed at hearing that, with Eli ready to fight to protect him but being too pained to move. Their plight caused concern among the hospital's staff, especially as Levi was looking more and more like he would do something to harm himself. After observing him closely during the day their ward nurse sent a request to the doctor to do something about Levi's depression and behavior or she'd send a complaint to force the hospital to actually treat a growing medical issue that was being ignored. The resident on duty concurred and sent a request to the psychiatric department for an evaluation. They sent Jaimie down to do the evaluation, with it being both a punishment for daring to leave them as well as being available to meet at that moment. She was fine with doing the dirty work when it came to kids, especially when it was needed and the kid was at wits end as most of her patients were. Jaimie was informed by the nurse about Levi's actions since he awoke. Jaimie wrote notes then walked into the room to speak with Levi, with Eli told that she was there to help Levi and wasn't going to let anyone hurt them. Eli was in no position to stop her even if he wanted to, so he had to let her talk with Levi and hope that she had good intentions for him. Jaimie got down to business and asked why they were attacked, to which Levi told her, "It's because I'm a girl. I don't hide that I'm a girl. I act like a girl, I dress like a girl, I speak like a girl, I am a girl!" Jaimie nodded then asked how long he had known that he was a girl, to which he happily told her, "For a couple of years. We heard about girls who were born as boys and I told my parents that I was a girl. We kept it a secret because people didn't like it, but at home I was always a girl." Jaimie asked where their parents were. Levi stopped talking, Eli blurted out, "They died when a truck cut us off on the freeway. We crashed into it, mom and dad were killed but we survived." Jaimie saw the pain their eyes and asked if they had any family. Both shouted, "No!" Eli sighed and told her, "Mom and dad were foster kids who fell in love. They never knew their families, we were their only family. It's why we are in foster care: we have nobody." Jaimie saw that they were getting worked up and told the two, "I'll talk with you later. I believe that you are transgender like you claim, but it's too early to make a full diagnosis. Believe me when I say that you aren't at all alone: there are a lot of kids and adults like us. You'll get help, I'll see to it myself." Jaimie knew that she had hit a nerve in them but her confession was something that they needed to hear to help both accept that she was sincere. Levi was showing all of the signs of being honest and Eli had the classic overprotective brother image going for him. She'd ask for details about their case and if need be she'd get in contact with people who'd help them out. She returned hours later to see their social worker there to talk with the resident about their care. Jaimie explained to both that Levi needed specialized care beyond a foster home. Their social worker asked if it was serious, to which she boldly stated, "It's right up my alley: Levi has expressed strong feelings of being transgender. I know for a fact that your department has struggled to find placement as only a few places can house kids like him and all of those are filled. His being transgender makes their previous actions make sense- Eli is protecting Levi and Levi is fighting urges to be a girl." She looked afraid for them, Jaimie told her firmly, "I'll have a talk with the director of 'Jaimie's Place'. She might be able to work with you to let them stay with her if a new placement can't be found. It's a long shot, but I'd rather they go to a place that I trust than be left where they could be harmed." She talked with Levi for an hour and got him to confess, "I loved dressing like a girl with my friends. I was 'one of them' even if I was a boy on the outside. They traded looks at our privates for the chance to be a girl for the day. Mom and dad loved that I was making friends even if I was a girl. The girls loved us and hated when dad was laid off and we had to drive across country to dad's new job. Eli started to act up after that, trying hard to be my protector but always getting into fights. He loves me no matter what, I can't help but love him for being like my big brother even if I'm older than him." Eli tried hard to hide his blush, but Levi hit him hard. Jaimie noticed the bond was strong between the two and let them know that she was glad that he accepted her as a girl to which he mumbled a scared, "I can't help it. Dad said to protect her and I can't let dad down. I love her and can't help it if I have to be a brute to boys. She can't defend herself, she always gets hurt. I can take a beating, she should have to." She left it at that, with Jaimie proudly telling them, "I'm working to get you a foster home that will be what you need. I'll guarantee that you find a home no matter what. You needs stability, you'll get it." Jaimie left to go home and sat down in her living room with a sigh. Rick asked what was wrong so she explained what happened and why and how it was impacting her so hard. He nodded and walked out to his office to call "Jaimie's Place" to see what could be done with the kids. The director calmed him and explained, "We don't have the space here. As much as I'd like to help them, I can't do it. I don't have the space next door either, I'm housing the overflow families." Rick ended the call and walked out to Jaimie and told her the news. She had a look that told him that it was the worst news that she could hear. He sat down to think then asked, "What about us?" Jaimie looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her answer was clear: they'd foster the kids. Rick went to see the swimming Sylvia and told her what they would foster the boys, with her practically jumping for joy over the news. She was adamant in telling him, "I told you years ago that you needed more children! I want brothers and sisters! I hate being an only child! Even Aunt Deborah got Uncle Patrick to have a baby by donor eggs and his sperm. Please, you find these kids a home- then have another baby!" He walked out to Jaimie talking on the phone with social services about fostering the boys. She was in a heated argument with a supervisor, with the supervisor trying hard to act defiant but finally telling her, "I apologize for the runaround, but we had to be certain. This is sudden and you are connected to the boys. We will perform a background check to see if you are suitable to foster the boys." She confessed, "There will be a notation about a police investigation into allegations of rape by my husband back in 2020. It was part of a large criminal ring with him mas the victim. The UMass Police have yet to clear that from their records. We have tried to get it cleared but have hit political hurdles. It will be cleared up when we return to Massachusetts- they'll have to answer why they are violating his rights in keeping that on the records illegally." There was some talking that Jaimie heard to which she countered, "I have the exact criminal dockets for all of the cases and the lawsuits against the school police department, fraternity, and members involved if you need exact verification. My parents will take care of UMass officially tomorrow if need be." She gave everything that she had and saw them clearing Rick immediately as his being a victim and not the actual criminal was noted throughout with his lawsuit stating specifically what happened. The fact that Sylvia was the result of the case and that she was perfectly fine and a top student gave them little reason to not allow the couple to house the boys. She added a somber, "I am moving to Massachusetts after the school year. If I still have custody of the kids I'll see if I can transfer their care to there. I am on great standing with your counterparts, two of my friends, my uncle, and two unofficial aunts work for your counterparts including running the agency, parent agency, region,and adjacent office." She was told that the boys would be released the next day so it was best that she took custody then. It was helped that Jaimie was off so could take them home, with her home inspected by social services to ensure that it was safe for the boys. She then called Ana Gomez to ask her to take on Levi as a client so he was able to continue his counseling without delay as Jaimie could no longer treat him. Ana asked why she was doing that, with Ana all but telling her, "About damn time" as she offered her a much needed round of support. Ana then added that it was for the best as someone who knew what he was going through would help calm Levi while Eli would benefit from having someone who knew how to protect a loved one who was in the throes of starting to transition. Rick had done a lot of what Eli did and did it without Jaimie knowing that he had done it, with Ana smiling at the boys' great luck. Sylvia hugged her parents tight as they sat together after dinner, with her falling asleep in Rick's lap as the daddy's girl in her came out for the night while Jaimie offered him a happy, "You love being a dad." He countered, "I love helping those in need and you know she has always been a daddy's girl. She's the greatest gift we ever got and as much as I hate to recall her conception she's a part of our history." Jaimie looked away in shame and asked if he was finally going to stop fighting and become a dad again or if he was going to hide from his genetics again. He mumbled a solemn, "Once we are both established in Winnisimmet we'll find a surrogate. She needs to be OK with what's happening and finding someone who is clean living, hasn't done any drugs or drink to excess, and who is alright with your being trans is hard. I want to be absolutely sure that we won't see another Stoner situation- even if she agrees, there's still the chance that someone will try to interfere." She kissed him deeply while Sylvia shifted in his lap and mumbled a tired, "Get a room" which caused the couple to laugh and carry her up to bed. In their own bed, Jaimie gave him a night of love that he sorely needed. She panted when he finished, her own orgasm causing her to feel like a woman again. In the morning, Jaimie went to the hospital and signed the paperwork. Sylvia and Rick were introduced to the boys and saw Sylvia calling Levi "pretty" and Eli "handsome" causing both to blush. Jaimie told the two, "She's used to people transitioning, three of her cousins have transitioned and she was one of the first to fully accept Anita Love as a girl." Their social worker asked what she meant, to which Jaimie explained, "My mentor, Dr. Ana Gomez, did the official evaluation of Anita Dupree AKA Anita Love. She stayed with us at my parent's request. It was followed a few years later by my unofficial cousin Hunter Eliza, the daughter of my colleague and Ana's longtime friend. That was followed by my cousin's daughter Brady Carter, my Aunt Chloe's niece Storm Cloud Miller, and my unofficial cousin Ian's daughter Megan Bailey. I initially diagnosed Storm Cloud, it was one of my first cases and done at my aunt's request due to immediate needs in her former hometown. Ana Gomez did the second opinion so we were covered just in case." She countered, "Before you make accusations, Megan is the daughter of one of the owners of Peterson Manufacturing as well as her town's chief of police, I told you about my Aunt Chloe working for DCF, and Hunter Eliza was diagnosed by the person I am replacing- Dr. Gina Allen, the same doctor who did my own examination back in 2014. All of the children have a lot of money so could afford to transition and are or were one of several children so transitioning wasn't an act of ending a potential bloodline as some claim. Two are twins, one an identical twin. We have kept things on the up and up due to people trying to go after my family due to our wealth and my being transgender." She was asked about unsavory people who were in contact with her. She grinned and explained to them, "There aren't any. We don't deny that my brothers' biological fathers were criminals, nor do we deny my uncle was a convicted murderer- all of those people were sent to prison or died years ago and those still alive are out of their lives for good so there is no issue." It was what they needed to hear, so the boys were released to the couple to drive home. Their mansion was inspected and saw Levi in awe at the size and the fact that he had his own room. Eli was scared but kept quiet and looked close to Levi just in cast he had to act, he didn't trust them despite being nice. The couple were asked how they could afford a large mansion in such an expensive neighborhood. She grinned and happily told them, "Profits from my life story in both book and movie form, profits from the movie production company my father founded and I'm a major shareholder in, profits from interest on trust funds due to my lawsuits against the NCAA and UMass-Amherst. I had to fight my father over buying it but he insisted on us having a home with plenty of space and in a safe neighborhood." That was asked about, she grinned and added, "He wanted to buy it but I refused to let him. It was my choice to go to medical school out here, I was old enough to spend my own money on myself- so I did. It's nearly impossible to tell my father not to splurge at times- but for once he let me pay my own way." The boys were officially placed in the Samuels' care and saw their neighbors come by to see what was going on. Only the Walshes and Meyers were told what was happening, with Lee Meyer's younger son happy to have kids close to his age there. He was sadly told, "One is a girl like your mother, please be kind to her and not make light of her transition. She's had a rough go so far with other kids her age." Brice Walsh walked directly over to one neighbor and warned him, "If you so much as think about lying to the paparazzi about what's going on we'll have your ass in court. These two did what you don't have the balls to do: help kids in need. Unlike your fake charities, they are actually helping kids in need." Rick grinned and shot back, "Go ahead and try to go after us. It's been a while since I've bankrupted one of you wannabe big shots. These kids are in my care and I'll do what I have to do to protect them." Lee Meyer grinned and happily added, "His father-in-law won't hesitate to buy out your mortgage from the bank. You know- the mortgage that you are three months behind on? The one you can't afford due to your business going under due to GloboTech being bankrupted? His cousins-in- law happen to be the ones who bought GloboTech and served you with the hefty lawsuit for fraud to recover stolen profits from GloboTech and your former company. I do believe you are still on probation for all of that?" Their neighbors walked off to mumbles about them being dangerous. Their true intent was clear: Rick was dangerous to them if they tried to use paparazzi to get rid of them again. There was always one to challenge them, but that would result in that person's family suffering due to stupidity. Inside the mansion, Eli and Lee's son Angelo swam while Levi stayed on the side of the pool enjoying the sunlight alongside the sunning Sylvia. Sylvia was dressed in a skimpy bikini causing Levi to feel a little weird at seeing her breasts and visible camel toe. She asked what was wrong, causing him to look away in shame to which she offered a consoling, "You are just starting out and a long way away from getting breasts and a decade from a vagina. Believe me: you won't get one sooner than 18. There's only one way that it's allowed and you do not want that to happen." He asked what she meant, she sighed and confessed, "Mutilation due to someone or something else. My aunts Al, Reyna, Kylie, Nichole, Mia, and Maisie and my cousin Brady had their surgeries early. Aunt Al wasn't like you, she was forced to become a boy because she was in a bad car accident. Brady cut off her balls because her school psychologist threatened to never let her be a girl unless she did it. Aunt Nichole protected mom from being killed but got her penis cut in half an balls cut off. The rest were all kidnapped by others and beaten so badly none of their privates worked and their balls were cut off." Levi moved his legs back so his knees were against his chest, Sylvia led him upstairs but first told the boys to not fight or they'd get into trouble. Neither boy were going to fight, they were having too much fun swimming back and forth. Even so, Jaimie was close by in the sun room lounging on a chair letting the boys have some privacy while still listening in just in case. Up in Sylvia's room, she locked her bedroom door and stripped naked. Levi blushed at seeing her little patch of public hair, with Sylvia happily telling Levi, "I keep it trimmed. My cousins shave theirs as it's itchy or catches in their panties when they do flips. I don't cheer, I probably will next year since we are moving east in June. As for my boobs? They take after my mom. She has big boobs." Levi looked confused, Sylvia sighed and explained to her, "My 'real' mom is my Aunt Sylvia. She's not my namesake, mom's friend is. She killed herself when mom was 16 so mom, Aunt Jessica, and Uncles Michael and Scott swore that they'd name their firstborn daughter after her. Uncles Michael and Scott had sons so I got the name. Aunt Jessica didn't have a child until a couple of years later so she got stuck with naming the baby Alex after his grandpa. She's probably going to be your social worker back east. I think you'll stay with mom and dad, if you didn't have a foster home already then you won't get one." She flaunted her body to Levi as she told him all of that. He couldn't take his eyes off of her vagina and was at a loss for words at seeing one so close on someone so mature. She had what she wanted from the boy, he was looking at her like her younger cousins looked at her and not like boys did. She finally told him, "You aren't a boy. I don't have to have mom's training to know that you aren't like any boys I've ever known. You looked at me with wonder, not shame or embarrassment. You wanted to have what I have, not touch it because it's what you don't have. You can look closer, I don't mind." She showed him everything, then had him touch to learn how it felt. It wasn't sexual, she had done that a few times with her younger cousins when they were curious. She knew when it was genuine curiosity and when it was being lewd- she smacked Simon once for making a lewd joke at seeing it in the pool." Levi touched and pulled away in shame. He had to fight his tears to which she hugged him tight so he calmed himself. She kissed his cheek and led him to bed, insisting on sharing a bed with him so he felt safe and didn't try to run off due to his feelings. As Levi napped, Sylvia walked downstairs to Jaimie and was asked if she did her usual exploration or if she had simply showed off her body. Sylvia blushed, Jaimie sighed and explained to her, "You have a way with the kids. Don't ever tell anyone that you do that, though. It's the last time you can do that as you are too old to do it anymore. It's harmless when you are younger, but not anymore. Sorry, honey- but you are a young woman now. I think you need a talk with your aunt about your shaving habits as it is getting a bit too long for my tastes. I know you like it trimmed, but shaving is best." She hugged her daughter as the teen was close to fainting from embarrassment. Jaimie kissed her cheek and offered a proud, "Your aunts and I did the same thing when we were your age so it's natural and it's a big help to Levi. Believe me: a lot of teens do it but refuse to believe it. No more with the younger kids, you might be leaning towards being a doctor in the future but I don't want your future ruined by false accusations that'll follow you around for life." Sylvia was about to cry but a kiss on the cheek calmed her followed by Jaimie telling her that she was a gem to the family as she did more for her cousins than anyone else despite being so far away. She told her a happy, "You'll find yourself a young man to love. I know it's tough not having someone close, but I think Chance Carter likes you a lot. He's too scared to act on his feelings due to your dad." Sylvia nodded and added, "He understands me most. As much as I love Johnny and Simon and Quentin, they just aren't the same with me. He's the only one not directly related to me too, even if none of them are blood to me. Simon and Quentin are too young for me anyway, even if Quentin is only four months younger than me. I like Chance a lot. Brady is teasing him about his crush on me and maybe Aunt Addison letting him date me when we move back east." Mother and daughter shared a moment that they had never had before: Sylvia's love life. Jaimie added a happy, "Addison doesn't want her little boy to grow up but he's 16 and found someone he likes. All of us hope that you two can work, he's a great guy and doesn't need to ever work yet wants to do so." Poor Rick was fighting saying something. Lee and Brice both had happy smiles as both proclaimed, "It's a healthy teenage girl." Brice added, "Trust me, you can't keep them young forever. You know how bad it was with my two when Lola found a boyfriend and when Chad found a girlfriend. They are growing up faster than we realize. At least you know the boy who might have her heart, and you know how much he means to her since the two talk more than anyone else. It's a miracle he's not out here next week." That caused Rick to smack his head as he realized he had neglected to tell his wife the big news. Brice had a look of concern, but Rick happily explained to him, "He's not coming as he's with his grandfather and cousins for a week of fishing and camping at Uncle Vance's cabin. The dads arranged it, the moms are all going to a week at a 'ladies only' retreat. He wanted to come out here, but it was too much fun to miss out on especially now that he's old enough drive under supervision." He grinned and added, "We are getting visitors. My cousins Jenna and George Daniels are taking their daughters here. Little Lee might find himself fumbling for words seeing them, especially now that they are starting to bloom up top. Poor George is struggling with Emily falling for my nephew Simon." Lee snickered as Brice groaned at his son maybe being mature enough to fall for another girl. She was a pretty girl, but Lee knew that it wasn't going to work with them being clear across the country from one another. He'd at least give her a crash course in how to treat a lady, especially a pretty lady. The boys were coaxed out of the pool by Jaimie who then woke Levi from his nap. Sylvia asked if Levi was going to dress as a girl, causing him to stop cold and Jaimie to tell him, "You need some clothes. I'd rather you wore new pajamas than slept naked or in your clothes. Plus you could make due with some skirts and blouses until you feel strong enough to wear a dress." Levi broke down in tears, causing Eli to rush to defend him leaving Jaimie to explain, "We were only telling your sister that she could use new clothes. You too need the same, as much as I'd appreciate Angelo's old clothes, they just aren't your style. He's particular with what he wears: he likes polos and slacks over t-shirts and jeans. His mother swears he's just like her- she wore the same all of the time before her transition." Eli and Levi gasped, Jaimie nodded and added, "She transitioned 16 years ago and had her surgery after she stored a lot of what makes babies. You are still a little too young to know that stuff. She's his 'dad' but she's his mom. And she's married to a pretty woman who just so happens to be best friends with her own best friend- Brice Walsh. It worked out well for all there." The two understood and saw Levi feeling better while Eli eased back on the defense of Levi now that he saw that they weren't going to be hurt by the couple. The two ate their fill and went to the lounge to watch TV, with the duo being shown a cartoon that Sylvia said was, "More for your age group". It was cute and saw Eli trying hard to hide his youth but the little boy in him shone as the show was just too funny to not get into as any kid would. The kids went to sleep after watching several episodes of the cartoon, with Jaimie carrying Eli while the grinning Rick carried Levi. She was smiling at performing motherly acts again, with Rick kissing her when the two went to bed themselves. He was happy to tell her, "We'll see about keeping them until they choose to move on. I don't mind having them with us, you love mothering them." In the morning, the kids were forced to go with them for the trip to the nearest reasonably-priced shops to get them outfitted. At breakfast, Levi was asked if he had chosen a name for himself as he couldn't be Levi if he was a girl. He mumbled a soft, "I don't know. I never thought about it. I'm just a girl Levi." Rick smiled to which Jaimie offered Levi a swift, "How about Olivia? It's Rick's mother's name. I think it would suit you well, it's different yet still close to your name." He looked at her with misty eyes to which Rick happily told him, "Olivia it is. I like the name Eli so it's alright to keep that. It's who you are, all that you've known yourself as." The family drove off for the long drive to the shops, ones that Jaimie happily told the kids weren't like the high-end fashion depots that their neighbors loved to spout off about shopping at yet not being able to actually afford to pay for without credit cards. Jaimie grinned as the kids were given the chance to let loose and be themselves, with both relaxing as they drove north and seeing a lot of built-up tension of the past day. They were happy to enjoy the drive, Levi had a look of wonder while Eli felt like he was able to be himself and not have to be on watch for everyone around them. At the shopping center, the kids were let loose and saw Rick taking Eli off while Jaimie and Sylvia took the newly dubbed Olivia off. Rick casually told them, "Don't go overboard. Get her what she needs for a few days, we'll need to talk with the judge about making it longer." The parted and saw Olivia ask what that was about. Jaimie smiled and told her, "You two are going to be with us until 18. If I get the gist of what he said, you two are going to be seeing us file paperwork to be your parents by adoption. He's sneaky, but something's going on that I'm not aware of yet." Sylvia casually told her, "Aunt Jenna and Uncle George are staying with us. Emily needs time away so she isn't thinking about Simon so much and Aunt Jenna has been forced to take a sabbatical so she's got to come here to relax. Uncle George probably has to do work at the office again but you know how he is when he has to take time off- he's never off duty if he has a computer." Olivia gave them a scared look, Jaimie smiled brightly while Sylvia casually told her, "Uncle George's cousin and cousin-in-law are like you so you are alright. None of the people we know are against you, you are simply a girl to them and all of them will be happy to meet you. Quinn will be happy to have another girl close to her age around, maybe Elise will get over herself and get to know you but that's not likely with her." Jaimie countered, "She's probably going to be staying with Paige and Bryan after this summer so she won't be a problem anymore. Her mother has a book tour and it isn't going to be easy for her so any trouble with her new baby will bring your uncle Pete with her. We don't want that to happen but it could since Elise was a tough pregnancy and her body can't take a fourth one." Thee two led Olivia on to a girl's clothing store and saw Olivia in tears as she saw outfit after outfit that screamed, "Me" to her. Jaimie helped her dress and had Sylvia critiquing her look, then saw Jaimie try to get Sylvia to accept some of the blouses and t-shirts that she thought Olivia would look cute in. Olivia was in a daze, she tried hard to not show joy but it was tough to do with so many pretty outfits. After shopping for the basics, they moved on to pajamas and saw Olivia refusing to wear two-piece sets as she had her eyes on an orchid and pink nightgown. Jaimie tried to explain to her how difficult it was to wear one but the look on Olivia's face was one of longing causing Jaimie to cave to her pleading. It was also followed by Jaimie adding a set anyway, with her telling Olivia, "It's best to have multiples. I know you might love this one but you still need others for when this is in the wash." The two added panties, leggings, and understhirts with Olivia happy to have each. Jaimie led her to the bathrooms to change into one of her outfits and had to fight a smile as Olivia's face change to one of a look of love and surprise. Jaimie further helped by brushing her hair and putting in a couple of barrettes to keep her hair out of her eyes, unintentionally making her look even more feminine. As they exited, Sylvia let out a happy, "You look so much more prettier. We'll have to teach you how to style your hair to give it some style without cutting. I think you need to go to the stylist to get it out of your eyes, especially if you want bangs or a different style. I think braids are enough for you." The ladies were met by the guys with Eli asking where his brother was. Olivia was in tears, he didn't do it intentionally but he said the right thing at the right time. Even her own brother didn't recognize her! Jaimie smiled and explained, "This little girl is your sister Olivia. Please get used to calling her a girl as she's not a boy anymore. She never was one, she's always been your big sister." He asked if she was wearing a wig, Sylvia grinned and explained, "It's something that we learn to do at a young age: styling our hair to make it look different with minimal effort. She's the same as before, she only changed her clothes and styled her hair differently. She's her real self, a girl in all but anatomy." Olivia hugged him and kissed his cheek, with Eli offering the same back. Levi was gone for good, the brother that he had tried hard to protect had faded into the girl who looked like his mother. It made him happy to see her looking like their mother, especially as it was a piece of her that lived on in them. The group were going to drive back home but Rick decided that a detour was in order. He smirked as he drove to one of the high-end boutiques and spoke with the manager about a "special project" that he had in the works. Rick had Jaimie take Sylvia with her as he made a call to someone. When he finished, Rick explained, "I called the boutique's owner and got her to help Olivia. She needs a bit of care, and the lady who owns the boutique is happy to help her out. She should be happy, she's my sister- in-law- Jaimie's sister Ella Finn-Nelson. Her wife is like your sister, but with more femininity and a lot more sass." He grinned as he heard a loud, "Hey!" from behind hi. Eli turned around and saw two ladies enter then give Rick deep hugs and kisses. Rick introduced Ella then her wife Flora, with Flora asking if Eli was the, "Special project". Rick grinned and asked, "Does he look like he's the least bit feminine? She's in the back with Jaimie and needs a nudge towards being a girl on the outside to match the inside. She's just barely accepting herself, it's hard for her with everyone around her being nothing like she'd experienced before. She's almost like you were." The ladies went into the back and left Eli to ask if she really was like his sister. Rick happily told him, "She was and in many ways still is. She acted as your sister acted, thankfully you haven't had to endure what her older sister endured. You heard what happened to Flora's sister-in-law, well Flora's sister was with the group kidnapped and badly beaten alongside them and endured even worse than them. She endured a lot of abuse over the years protecting Flora from predators, just the same way you did. You haven't been sexually abused or beaten unconscious, she was and she came out of it stronger than ever. You'll come out of this stronger, if you let us help you." Eli kept quiet, the two waited for the ladies to come out and endured the sales staff trying to figure out if they should remove them or let them wait. Ella came out and told them what was going on, with Rick happily telling her, "Don't go overboard. And you aren't giving them to her unless it's a full write-off." Ella grinned causing Rick to growl, "She's too smart for her own good. I swear they are geniuses with the way they are able to find loopholes in accounting laws. It's a write-off as either a donation or as an investment since we are going out to a restaurant when George and Jenna come by. Next you are going to tell me that Jack and Benny are coming by too!" She burst into laughter causing Rick to explain to the perplexed Eli, "Angelo's mother handles all of our accounting, she's smart in keeping businesses afloat by finding write-offs and tax breaks. Then we are going out for dinner with our friends when they come to stay with us, Olivia will be seen in her dress so it'll be free advertising for the boutique. And finally the press will be all over us due to my cousin Jack and his comedy partner/best friend Benny coming by. I'd bet good money that Benny's sister Francesca will also be going too since she's in town with her family. It's rare, but it's a nice gathering." Ella happily added, "It wasn't planned, but it's being done for Jenna's sake as she enjoys a nice night out with us. We have a couple of tables booked at the usual restaurant but we can't avoid the paparazzi. The only wild card is if your neighbors join us- the focus will be on them but we get some mentions." Eli waited for them to finish, he didn't care about that stuff and just wanted to get back to the mansion. They waited several more minutes, to which Olivia stepped out with Jaimie and Sylvia while Flora did a happy introduction to the newest princess of Bel Air. Eli was shocked at what he saw: Olivia looked nothing like she did before and was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. His lack of reaction caused her to grow scared, Rick happily translated to her, "He's happy for you. You are stunningly beautiful. You look nothing like your former self, the more confidence you have in how you look the more you become the beautiful little girl we all see before us." Flora rang them up and told them not to be a stranger, with Jaimie doing the same to them. After what felt like hours the family arrived back home and ate a late lunch then saw Jaimie taking Olivia out for a trip to get her ears pierced and hair styled. Rick drove Eli to his preferred barber and had him endure a long session that saw his hair trimmed to match Rick's- something the boy enjoyed immensely. When both groups converged, Rick finally told Jaimie about their visitors. Jaimie grinned then added a happy, "They aren't coming alone. Fate is funny at times, they did what we are doing: fostering a child." Over in Winnisimmet, Mario took a day to get situated in the Daniels home and enjoyed a quiet day out with Jenna as she got him needed clothing then introduced him to both her own and George's families. He met more people than he had ever met before who were related to one another, with Jenna happily telling him, "You'll get used to so many people. Grandpa likes to have gatherings at his house so we are used to being around one another. It also helps to quell our unofficial relatives' curiosity by having you meet everyone since they know not to come by or disturb the kids when we are all together." When the family meal broke up, Mario relaxed with seven-year-old River Valley Miller and his nephew Terrence. The two boys weren't too inclined to be social which Mario was grateful for, letting him lead them in what they watched on TV before all three fell asleep after a half hour alone. Jenna smiled at the sight, both boys accepted Mario as family without question and were happy to let him be himself. Jaimie called to officially invite Jenna and George out west the next week, with George happy to force Jenna and the girls to go while Mario wasn't thought about until later. Jaimie knew about him but didn't inquire too deeply, she'd give them their privacy but was happy to know that her beloved friends had opened up their home to someone in need just as she had done. Rick had no idea that Jenna had told Jaimie about Mario, which came as a shock to him but was something that he was proud of them for as it was exactly what Jenna needed to recharge her emotional batteries and give her a new lease on life. George packed them for the week and told the girls that they'd have a lot to do. He then packed Mario's things and told the boy, "There's kids your age out there and you'll meet some famous people. Don't get too anxious, they are normal people. Well, mostly normal. Jack and Benny are pretty off the wall." The joke went over Mario's head. He knelt down and explained to him, "The kids are good kids. We love them immensely but they joke a lot. They have turned their joking into a TV show, the first show that our family's production company created. We are also meeting with Jack's cousin and Benny's sister as they are in town to film some scenes for Francesca's latest movie. If we are lucky, we'll get to see it." He didn't know what to say, it sounded so unreal that they'd have both TV stars and movie stars who were known to them. Jenna saw the look and happily added, "Francesca is a movie star but she keeps close contact with her family and friends. Jack and Benny got their big break from her manager, he had a lot of interest in getting into the teen comedy market and felt the duo were stars- he was right." She showed him pictures of the boys as they grew up, with Francesca being pointed out as being close to them throughout their lives. She pointed out Francesca's husband Donald, telling the inquisitive boy, "He's Jacks' cousin. The boys work hard to impress him with their jokes and skits, unknowingly setting their show in motion. It's why Donald is one of the executive producers, they need his input for skits." The two spent a lot of time together as the week wore on, then that Friday afternoon they rushed to the airport to take a private plane west. Rick met them at the airport, with Olivia and Eli enjoying the day at the mansion under the watchful eye of Lee's and Brice's wives. The duo didn't enjoy being forced to do schoolwork, especially as they were doing more on their own than in school. At the Samuels home, Tracy was introduced to the blushing Little Lee causing her to smile brightly as he clearly found her to be cute. Emily groaned about Tracy being that way with a boy, while Tracy shot back a terse, "You have some nerve- you were the same way with Simon this morning!" Emily blushed while Sylvia teased, "He gets that reaction a lot. Mom says it's because he's so much like his mom. When she was in her tomboy phase she was pretty handsome." The girls went inside but stopped short when they saw a younger boy and girl coming into the lounge looking for Jaimie and Rick. Eli went right into his protection mode but saw Sylvia tell them, "These two are Olivia and Eli. They are staying with us for the same reason Mario is staying with you. Olivia is like mom, she just started to be a girl." Tracy and Emily both said, "She's so cute," while Jenna told the two, "Calm down. She doesn't need you to hover over her, she's probably not used to people knowing girls like her. You two have your cousins, she doesn't have anyone except Jaimie and Lee who are transgender like her." The girls went off while Jenna introduced herself to the two. Eli was still on edge, but eased off of the edginess when Jenna told the two, "The girls will be alright with you. George's cousin is transgender too and the girls have known her for eight years. Her sister is married to a transgender girl and is a mother to their son so you'll more likely get smothered in kisses and hugs than teased or hurt." Mario held back with George, Jaimie gave him a hug then led him to where Eli and Olivia were. She did the introductions for them, with Eli reluctantly taking Mario off to the entertainment room to watch TV for a while until the adults called them. Olivia stuck close to Jaimie, Jenna gave the two a big smile causing Jaimie to tell her, "Laugh it up, but you are doing the same with Mario. I haven't seen you that happy to be a mom in years. It really suits you- brooding burnout is so last year!" The ladies walked out to where the guys were, with George and Rick enjoying drinks in the solarium as the ladies sat around them. Olivia grew bored listening to them talk about adult things and sought out Sylvia, only to end up seeing the girls tease one another as they talked about boys and their friends. Olivia was ushered inside to take part in it, with her not really enjoying all of the boy talk. She sat quietly as the teens talked, with Sylvia hugging her at times to calm her when things got a little too "PG" for them- especially talking about bulges and biceps. Sylvia asked about Chance causing the duo to snicker while Olivia asked who he was. Emily cut off Sylvia by telling the concerned girl, "He's the guy that Sylvia has been crushing on for four years, ever since he got to star in Gruncle John's big movie series. He played Uncle Scott, one of the stars of the third movie but featured in the first two and did something horrible to Aunt Jaimie in the first one: he caused her testicles to need to be removed." Olivia gasped as the others nodded. Emily happily added, "He's the only one that got trusted to star as him because his sister is like you and she was forced to endure what Uncle Scott caused Jaimie to do. She did it to herself, but it was under the same threats. She's fine now, she has a boyfriend and doesn't like to even think about when she still had her boy parts. Yes, she had surgery- it was allowed by the state because they caused her a lot of trouble and got her hurt because of it." Emily teased Sylvia again to which she teased Emily about Simon. Olivia asked about him which then caused Tracy to laugh hard as Emily didn't know what to say. Sylvia casually told Olivia, "He's just as cute as Chance but has a worse issue: his grandpa is principal. He jokes a lot and makes everyone look at him so the boys don't go after smaller boys who can't fight back. He can fight back, and win." Olivia asked why she didn't date him, Tracy happily shot back, "Their dads are cousins. Not because the two dads are close friends, it's because their grandmothers are sisters. Mom said they are too much like their dads, Uncle Will jokes a lot and Uncle Rick makes him look stupid but they have a lot of fun." Downstairs, Mario and Eli watched TV together before falling asleep. The two looked so close yet had a clear indication that they were keeping their distance from one another. When the adults broke apart for the night, Rick and George carried the two up to their rooms and saw Mario hug George tight to the point of needing George to partially awaken the boy to release his grip on him. Mario kissed his cheek as he lay down again, causing George to blush as the boy hit him hard with his unconscious act of love. George hid his blush but Jenna casually told him, "He's too close to us. I want to be his mother, I don't think we can take the chance that he'll leave us." George hugged her, kissing her cheek and telling her affectionately, "He's already part of the family and is giving you a chance to mother again. I'm realistic: he has no shot at getting adopted by a family as he is too small, too quiet, too scared, and too effeminate for most couples. He's an amazing boy who just needs parents who understand him and want to work with him to open up. We can do that for him." The two went to bed smiling, with both dreaming of a happy family. Jenna dreamed about her son and daughters smiling and enjoying time out with the couple while George dreamed about a son who took after him in sports, learning martial arts like he learned years before. The two made plans for what to do with Mario, hoping that he'd appreciate what they wanted to do for him. The girls stayed up late but first helped Olivia get ready for bed. Emily smiled at her wearing pajamas that were clearly picked out by Jaimie while Tracy giggled at the nightgown hanging nearby. Both had a strong suspicion that the nightgown was her favorite but dressed her in the pajamas instead. In Sylvia's room, the girls talked about the week. Sylvia had school so couldn't join them for much of the day but would enjoy nights out on the town with them. Shopping was their big destination, with the girls hoping to look at some of the expensive shops to simply say that they were out there. Sylvia didn't tell them that their aunts owned a boutique, that would be a surprise that they couldn't help but enjoy especially as they loved Flora deeply. Ella was always strict with them, but Flora treated the two like queens even when they acted up. Flora was banned from babysitting them due to that fact. The girls included Olivia in their plans as it wasn't right to leave her out. Being big sisters came natural to the Daniels girls, so treating Olivia like one was natural and expected. They loved helping girls like her, especially given that they knew how much being treated equally meant to the girls. Sylvia dropped a bombshell: they would have to dress up to go out to dinner with Jack, Benny, and the Bollingers. Francesca wanted them to go out, it wasn't good to stay in all week and she loved having family close by even if they'd run into paparazzi. The girls asked who else was going, causing Sylvia to cringe and tell them, "The Walshes and Meyers. Tracy might even get a date out the meal." She blushed deeply while Sylvia added, "He's a nice boy. You could use the practice and he knows that it won't last. He's more likely to let you lead than try anything with you. Plus dad and Uncle Mike will be close by so won't let him do anything. He fears his mom and grandparents more than them- his mom is a tough woman and protects girls from guys who think they'll get what they want from us." The girls broke up for the night and saw Sylvia joining Olivia in bed to calm her. Olivia cuddled into her arms, then kissed her cheek as thanks. Sylvia whispered in her ear, "You needed someone close. It's a tough feeling, but none of them will hurt you. They'd hurt anyone trying to hurt you." In the morning, Sylvia helped Olivia shower then dress for the day. Sylvia's choice caused Olivia to be happy: a pretty pink and white top and black and white skirt. It was followed by barrettes of the same colors causing Jaimie to tell her to back down from the femininity as it was too much too soon. Eli looked over at her clothes and looked away in shame. In his mind, Levi was officially gone forever and Olivia replaced him. He was happy for her, she was herself and showing why she was a girl inside. None of the guests said anything, but Mario did call her pretty when he sat at the table next to her. That little act was what she needed most and saw all anxiety dissipate as the little boy gave her confidence to be a girl and show her true self. Mario somehow knew what to say at the right time, with Jenna and the grinning George realizing that the boy just like Jenna making her finally have a little piece of herself. Swimming and visiting offices were the plans for the day, with the girls eagerly going to change into swimsuits while Olivia blushed at not having anything to wear. Jaimie handed her one, happily telling her, "We had to make a run while you were doing schoolwork. You needed one, we can't have a pool and not let you use it. As much as we'd be OK with you going nude, others might take it the wrong way." She blushed deeply while Eli looked away ashamed, but Jaimie explained to him, "It's due to Sylvia. If it was just boys there might be no problem. However, being a girl, it's a problem. And then there's the people who would accuse us of harming you for allowing it, thankfully Rick would shut that down but it would still cause a lot of people to make false allegations just because they can." The day was spent swimming in the pool then running around the yard. Mario kept mostly quiet, letting the girls direct him while Eli followed alongside him. The two shared an unspoken bond, but both boys kept quiet out of respect for one another and not wanting to upset Rick and George. Rick announced to the boys that he had something special for them. He took them inside and showed a newly released game system, one that all of the kids wanted but few had. Rick happily told Eli, "We got it for you. Your sister is getting a lot of new things to make her feel normal, you deserve the same." Eli watched in awe as George and Rick put the system together then enjoyed seeing the dads complain about being unable to reach certain things. The boys loved the show they were putting on, with the two happy to do it for them. When it was finally setup, Eli dug right in and found the perfect game for him: a puzzle game that let him build anything that he wanted while earning in-game money for equipment. Eli's boon got Olivia to feel left out, but then realized that she got more than him so far in clothing and her styling products. She didn't really care about the game system, it was more that Eli got something meant for him that she didn't have. She was happy for him, especially as he needed her help to play the system after Mario and the Daniels family left. Sunday saw the two families dressing up for dinner, then driving to an exclusive restaurant where they were immediately seen to by the valets. The head valet scoffed at their SUVs, unknowingly causing the restaurant's owner to turn red in embarrassment as he recognized Rick and Jaimie. He rushed out to be introduced to the newcomers, with Rick telling him, "I guess some folks are so spoiled that they can't help but belittle those who choose substance over style." Turning to the head valet, Rick told the man, "Leave them in the owner's spots." He was going to protest but the owner explained to the angry head valet, "They are my partners. You'd know that if you ever did your research like I told you. They never come by the restaurant unless it's a special occasion, I expect they have a couple of VIPs joining them. Do as he said or find a new job." George asked what that was about. Rick waited until they were inside at a private table to explained, "I invested in this restaurant to help one of Sylvia's friends' parents. They got divorced and she moved to Seattle to be with her mother but her father remained. I stayed on as a silent partner, we only ever get to visit here for special occasions so we aren't recognized by the staff. It's still insulting to patrons, he shouldn't have done it but he's so sure of his position and what he can do that he did it without fear." The group waited an hour with nobody offering them drinks or bringing menus. The kids got antsy and led to Rick walking with them outside to check with the owner about what the delay was. He found out his reason: there were multiple paparazzi causing chaos outside with people entering while staff were trying their hardest to avoid their area so they could wait on the entering stars. Rick was noticed and demanded an explanation. The owner wanted one was well, he was in the back on the phone with people regarding important ingredients and meats and was upset that there was any kind of delay. The manager was left trying to be the spokesperson for the staff, with him mumbling a lying, "We didn't know that they were so important, you told us to treat the VIPs: they just came." The owner shook his head and let out an angry, "This man and his group are the VIPs. He owns 2/3rds of the restaurant and those people outside making a big show of coming here aren't. They are trying to get me to give the ma free meal, I recognize them- Heath Downey and Woody Demille. I can guarantee the paparazzi were called by them so it'd look like they were big shots when they are freeloaders." Rick added, "Those two knew real stars were coming tonight. Francesca Herman and her husband, Brice Walsh, Lee Meyer, and the duo of Jack and Benny are coming. All of them are coming with family, we have the back of the restaurant booked for all of us. Those two are trying to hone in on Francesca and the boys' fame- the boys share an agent with Heath Downey so he knew they'd be here from her." Rick watched as Heath and Woody entered like they owned the place and sat wherever they pleased and walked throughout the restaurant trying to scope out where they could sit and be seen by cameras that were conveniently pointed at them. It was comical that they saw a large group in the best tables and complained, with Rick asking the two, "I hope you aren't upset that the owner's family and friends are taking up tables that they paid for. You two are pretty bold in getting in here, but that boldness will only be matched by the bill you'll be paying for your food." Heath blew a gasket and yelled at him for giving "their tables" to a "bunch of nobodies" while Woody threatened them with having everyone in town avoid the restaurant due to "issues with clientele." Rick offered a counter, "You can leave. Don't come back. You threatened this to ruin the reputation of this establishment for not giving you what you want- that's extortion. By all means, please try to go after us. I'll have your asses in court for defamation and expose the two of you as frauds. By the way, say hello to the camera: all of what you just said was captured on video." Olivia and Eli watched in awe as Rick showed just how protective he was of what he liked. They hid a smile as Woody and Heath were escorted out by staff while paparazzi tried to find out why they were booted. Rick casually told the paparazzi the truth, leading to the duo having to run off in fear as their own reputations were about to take a tumble and likely be the ends of their failed careers. The paparazzi didn't have to wait long for juicier news as the Hermans, Walshes, Meyers, and Jack all came at the same time. The usual questions about Jack and Benny being gay and lovers were ignored, it was what the vermin always asked as they were constantly claimed to be gay due to their closeness. It wasn't further from the truth: both were married to girls back in Winnisimmet attending college with the boys' parents keeping them company when the boys were filming their block of shows that month. The boys' wedding rings were the source of the claims, with the network playing up their relationship in the hopes of winning points with the gay community but seeing the two refusing to be used as pawns for something that they found offensive. Rick hugged both and introduced the new kids to them, with the duo grinning and seeing Benny joke, "Finally kids who Jack can actually make laugh" causing them to laugh as Jack gave him a look that said "Not funny" but was extremely funny in their eyes. Francesca hugged the kids and happily told Olivia, "You are beautiful! Jaimie said you were pretty but it was an understatement. And your brother is handsome, even if a bit rough around the edges. But that's boys for you: rough and tumble and always wanting to fight. Except these two: they run off scared." The duo groaned as Eli smiled back. She had won him over quickly and had Olivia blushing at her kind words. Francesca led them inside and hugged Jaimie deeply then did the same with Jenna and George. The Walshes and Meyers entered, with the kids greeting them and seeing Tracy blush as "Little Lee" laid eyes on her. The boy was smitten but knew that she was only there for a week and wasn't going to be a girlfriend to him even if he liked her a lot. Tracy had to rein in her own hormones as he was quite a handsome boy and looked like his father in all ways making her blush at him being mature for his age. The last to arrive were the ones that Rick feared would be the toughest as Flora and Ella arrived amid a chaotic scene as the cameras tried hard to capture something inside. The duo were stopped by staff and had to wait for Rick to help them, with Rick telling the staff, "These are my sister-in-law and her wife. If you have a problem with them then you are fired. You have no right to deny anyone entrance- they did nothing except arrive, you never even bothered to ask them if they had a reservation before refusing to let them come in! Whomever told you that you can do that is fired!" That led to the manager jumping into the mix to defend the staff, prompting Rick to growl, "So you are the one who has been keeping out much of the potential customers in favor of people who don't give a damn about this place and only come here to be seen? You don't run a business that way- you are giving away free food to people who are costing us money! And if that wasn't bad enough, you turn away any potential PAYING customers! You are fired. You have no excuse: you are hurting this restaurant." He claimed Rick couldn't do that, but Rick countered, "I'm majority owner. I may not take direct action and never get involved due to work commitments but will do so here. You on the other hand are just a hired manager, one whose actions harmed the business thus making your job a liability. This is being rectified, you are dismissed and your paycheck will be mailed to you. Goodbye." Rick asserted control and wasn't going to let some power-hungry wannabe who ignored what the owner wanted so he could live out being an owner on someone else's dime. Jaimie kissed his cheek when he sat down, with Ella vehemently telling him that he didn't have to do that but Flora telling her beloved, "It needed to be done. He's costing them more money turning people away than they are making from a few who may be using the restaurant. As nice as you are, some people need to know that they aren't the boss and they are hurting the business more than helping. He knew what he was doing, he thought that he was better than the owner and probably got money from the celebrities and paparazzi for tips." They let it slide, enjoying a long meal with the restaurant's staff trying hard to avoid them but doing the job out of fear of being fired like the manager. The kids didn't really enjoy the food, while the teens all enjoyed eating food they normally avoided due to not liking to be flashy in front of friends. Lee was the only one who didn't react to the food, he was used to fine meals thanks to his mother's travels and being taken out to eat by his grandparents whenever they had to watch him for his parents. As they were leaving, Jack and Benny were hounded by paparazzi and saw more accusations of being gay. Francesca finally asked if they always assumed that someone was gay because they were close to someone of the same sex and if so wouldn't most of them fall under that same assumption as they were always together with one another thus would be gay as well. That got the families laughing while Jack finally had enough and told the dumbasses, "We've had enough of your accusations and we aren't going to be used by the network for their false diversity claims. We aren't gay. We aren't dating. We are both happily married to women, women who refuse to be in the spotlight and who are working hard at home and would have joined us this weekend but had to study for tests in their college classes on Tuesday." Benny added, "Our wedding rings are covered during filming but we never take off our rings. There's a reason our show is mostly filmed in Boston: so we don't have to put up with people like you all trying to make up rumors and harass us to get a story. Our wives have been out and about with us, we never hide them and they choose to stay away from the publicity junkets we have to endure for our show so it doesn't become an issue the network and their attempts to make ups into gay icons. Sorry if your juicy story is garbage, but then again it was only going to get you sued by us anyway since you have no right to claim what you can't back up." Francesca and her husband Donald were their focus next, Francesca happily kissed Benny and Donald hugged Jack with Francesca telling the paparazzi, "Benny is my brother and Jack is Donald's cousin. We try to enjoy a night out whenever we are all in town together but it coincided with our friends Jenna and George being in town making this a large gathering. This restaurant happens to be majority-owned by our friend Rick so got to host us tonight. The Walsh and Meyer families are Rick's neighbors and also involved in our extended family's production company- Inferno Pictures. Each of us are investors, with Jaimie being one of the largest shareholders. You'd know that if you bothered to do research but then again you chose to ignore those facts due to the now-former manager trying to keep the owner away." Brice and Lee grinned as the paparazzi tried to figure out what was going on. Lee casually explained, "I know you don't like to hear it, but Jaimie here owns 20.25% of Inferno Pictures through her charity 'The Finn Group' and her share of the family's stake in the company. She's not even the richest among any of the group here- her sister is worth more than her but only has a 10.125% stake in the company. You folks are a barrel of laughs, you are so intent on defaming Jack and Benny that you ignored the others who are worth a combined $1 billion!" They walked off happy at putting the paparazzi down and getting them to look like fools yet again. The kids were tired by then and falling asleep in the SUVs with the families driving in silence home while Flora and Ella joined them for the night to keep the paparazzi from going to their house. The two loved seeing Jenna and Jaimie carry the boys up to bed while Rick carried the sleeping Olivia, causing both to grin while George told them, "Don't bug them about that. It's doing what a parent does, not that you'd understand it. By the way, when are you two going to get pregnant?" Jaimie nearly fainted at hearing that, with Rick telling him, "Don't push them. They are still young and not like us: they have years ahead of them and plenty of samples to use. It's a lot to work out before the two can get it done, it's not just sticking a Popsicle in her vagina then waiting to see if sperm caught." Rick realized what George did and groaned, he got them back for the duo teasing him about Jenna and him doing the same. Ella needled him about letting her undergo the procedure, she refused and refused to accept anyone's donor semen. Ella took her chastising and apologized, with Flora kissing her cheek to tell her that it was alright and she was actually planning on it in the near future. The next morning caused the families concern as Jaimie received a phone call from social services that stated that they had found a home for the kids. She asked for details, receiving a delay then upset, "They have a couple who are looking for two children to adopt as their own. They were very specific, what the two described fit the boys perfectly. We'll be transferring them this afternoon." Jaimie was devastated and needed Rick to comfort her. Jenna took over the call and introduced herself then asked for specifics about the new family just in case it was rubberstamped instead of thoroughly looked into. Just as she suspected, they were so quick to jump at the chance to get rid of the kids that it wasn't a complete investigation into the couple causing her to ask for the names as she'd have all of the information in minutes where they'd take days- something that should have been done first. As soon as she heard the names she laughed, then asked, "Are you always in the habit of awarding kids to known drug addicts with criminal records and who have been served time in prison? The name that you just gave is Heath Downey's legal name! Your agency is handing over two children to the worst of the worst: an unemployed actor who is desperate for work and known to be abusive to people." She sighed and explained, "Whomever accepted his application was starstruck and didn't do their job. It is more than a coincidence that this morning Heath applies to house the children after getting himself tossed out of Rick Samuels' restaurant last night for attempting to cadge free food then humiliated by the paparazzi. These kids aren't better off with him, as much as you'd enjoy the publicity, to send them home with Heath is to put them in danger from neglect or worse." That caused the social worker to gasp in shock, Jenna explained, "The man known professionally as Heath Downey has multiple arrests dating back 25 years. He pleaded guilty to fraud, drug possession, drug trafficking, and assault on a police officer in Boston 13 years ago. He served five years in prison and stayed out of trouble but your own rules bar him from taking the children in. And be advised: the child known legally as Levi has been diagnosed as transgender and thus is to be called female and is to be treated as such by your own rules and regulations." That caused more issues as it wasn't noted in the supervisor's files and caused her to get called out for it for trying to put "Levi" in dresses. Jenna calmed herself then explained, "It's in the files, you ignored the files in favor of putting the kids with a celebrity. It's hard to miss Jaimie Samuels' evaluation results, it was one of the reasons why the kids were placed with her and her husband: they can best help them!" There was a standoff, leading to the social worker agreeing with her and telling her that they'd work out an alternative if need be. He sighed and added, "We might have to go to court over this. He has to know what is going on and is going to drag us through the mud to get back at the Samuels family." He ended the call which led to Jenna announcing, "Get Olivia a meeting with Dr. Gomez. She needs the second evaluation to confirm that she's transgender since your evaluation is voided due to housing her. It's going to end up in court, but they can't send them to Heath Downey without ending up in court too." An hour later, Jaimie was called again and told, "Tomorrow is a hearing in front of judge Uriah Katz. He personally demanded the case and wants to meet all parties involved. He knew of your husband's name and suspected that it wasn't what it seemed. I hate to think of it, but he's going to ensure that several of my colleagues are fired for gross negligence for ignoring our protocols in not investigating Downey as is required by the rules. The one who made the phone call earlier and threatened your care regarding the child known as Levi is suspended for violating our rules regarding transgender children." The kids weren't aware of any of the drama as they were discretely led to the media room to enjoy the pile of work that they had to do for school. Mario wasn't immune, Jenna had him doing work alongside them so he didn't fall behind kids his age. Sylvia hated having to leave them but she had school to go to and would have to tell her friends what was going on as something was clearly up based on her parents' looks and how Jenna was ready to rip someone to shreds. Jaimie took the reluctant kids to see Dr. Gomez, but at the office she was told that she was terminated due to overstepping her job in taking in the kids. She demanded their action in writing then told them, "I will be speaking with legal counsel. I know that you have outside forces making you act, I refuse to be your token employee and won't stand for being bullied by people who I have donated countless hours to without compensation and with better results than all but my mentor." Dr. Ana Gomez listened then told the administrators, "She has you by the balls. You don't have grounds to terminate her, she hasn't done anything wrong. There is no such policy preventing an employee from assisting social services in taking in children in need. You know that, you are hoping that she backs off of her intention to resign and move east. It didn't work and will cost you dearly." Ana led Olivia inside and addressed the situation with her. She was in tears, begging her not to make her be a boy again. Ana had just what she needed, but still dug into Olivia's past to verify what she had said to Jaimie and ensure that there was no hiding the truth in case Jaimie's findings were truly biased. The hour went faster than Olivia realized, with the last question being, "Why the name Olivia?" She told Ana, "Jaimie's husband suggested it. It's close to Levi but means something. It's his mom's name." Ana nodded in agreement while adding, "She's a great woman who cares about children. She'll be proud that you chose that name, and happy to meet you in the future. I've met her a few times and she's never been anything but a caring mother and grandmother, you give her a chance to spoil a little girl again." Ana gave Jaimie her report and offered support to her for the next day. It was comical to her for anyone to try to make an end run around the laws with Jaimie and Rick, especially regarding kids. The Kaplans were going to get involved and give him overwhelming support- nobody could match their firepower. Back at the Samuels home, Sylvia took the girls for a "girls day out" with Olivia as the guest of honor. They were being chaperoned by Lola Walsh and her husband, with both happy to keep a safe distance. She was glad to do it for Rick and Jaimie, especially as she wasn't busy and loved to shop. The girls led Olivia around from shop to shop with Lola telling them not to go overboard, causing her husband to laugh at her for saying that. She gently whacked his arm for that, but it was great fun to her to do that. The girls were enjoying helping Olivia experience "retail therapy" and experience what a lot of girls do but don't really appreciate. Olivia tried on a lot of different outfits as well as shoes and accessories, with the girls enjoying the fun of helping Olivia get used to different things like hair clips, jewelry, and other accessories. Sylvia had a ball with her, Emily teased her about being too much of a girly-girl which caused her to smile back. It was the truth: she was a girly-girl and she loved being able to be a girl with them. During the course of their shopping, Olivia asked Lola if she was a mother like the adults. Lola had to fight tears as she told her, "I'm like you so I can't be a mother normally." Olivia looked down in shame, her husband wisely told Lola, "I keep telling you we'll adopt. I know you are upset that you weren't the most viable and insemination failed, but it's not the end of the world. There's kids in need like her." The two kissed deeply while Sylvia hugged the scared Olivia. She led Olivia out with their bags then told her, "He's been planning on adopting for months but hasn't had the chance to tell her. They have the kids ready, siblings like you and your brother. They aren't transgender, but need a loving home." Lola heard that and cried tears of joy, with he husband kissing her cheek as she wept. It spoiled the big surprise, but Lola's reaction made it worth the annoyance. Olivia's timing was off by a week, she'd have been with them if not for the big assaults causing them to need Jaimie and Rick's being their parents. Back at the Samuels home, the kids were told that they were going to court the next day regarding their staying with Rick and Jaimie or being placed with Heath Downey and his wife. Eli took the news hard, running off to his room in tears while Olivia wailed on the floor. Jaimie handled Eli while Rick carried the sobbing Olivia up to her bedroom to talk. Jaimie stopped Eli from trying to flee, hugging him close as he begged her not to be taken away from her. He cried hard, telling her, "We love you. You are our mom now. We don't want anyone else. Nobody likes us, nobody wants us. You do. You and Rick are mom and dad now. We need our mom and dad." She was crying alongside him, hugging him tight until he fell asleep. He slept in her arms, with Jaimie doing the same as he needed her closeness to ensure that she wasn't leaving him. She loved the feeling, it was making her feel like a mother again and giving her experiences that Sylvia didn't give her. Over in Olivia's room, Rick hugged Olivia then told her through his own tears, "I know how you two are feeling. My sister had the same thing happen to her: she fell in love with mom and dad and wanted to be adopted by them. My brothers fell into their laps by accident, one because he's Al's brother and we knew him already and the other because he had nobody else and mom and dad wanted to help him. I want to be your father, Jaimie wants to be your mother. We didn't want to ask you for another couple of weeks because it's still early but you two have made it clear that you love us already so we can't let you get away from us. You two are our children now, we want to make it official." Sylvia took over for Rick and helped Olivia get dressed for bed. She did the same, with Olivia blushing at feeling Sylvia's breasts in her back. Sylvia whispered to her, "You'll get used to the feeling, we girls hug a lot- it's one of our coping mechanisms. I'm happy to do this for my sister, I love being your big sister. I was jealous of my cousins and friends- all of them have brothers and sisters, but I didn't." She was crying onto Olivia's shoulder, with Olivia turning over to hug her back. Olivia embraced her tightly then fell asleep in her arms. Sylvia felt better admitting that to Olivia, it was eating at her for years but she had never been able to articulate why she wanted a brother or sister so badly. Mario was scared of what was happening and looked up at Jenna and George for answers. Jenna had to softly explain to him, "Eli and Olivia are going to court to see who will be their foster parents. A couple want to take them in but they aren't a good couple. That won't happen to you, you are under our care and you'll be with us until you choose not to be." He jumped into her arms and tearfully asked, "Can you be my mommy and daddy? I don't want to go to anyone else. Nobody wants me, you love me. I want to be your son." George hugged him and happily told him, "We'll file the paperwork when we get home. We thought that it would happen but not for another month. We didn't want to rush you, but we did want to adopt you." The girls led him up to his room to sleep, with all three sleeping together causing Jenna and George to take pictures of the sleeping kids. The way Mario slept in Emily's arms was like how the other kids did when they were younger, especially how the similarly aged Billy Pena slept in Kylie Pena's arms or the always tough to get to bed Nigel Smith Jr. slept in his sister Nichole's arms. It was a big sign to them, it was history repeating itself in their vast family: another child found their true family. In the morning, Jenna had to hold off her mother and mother-in-law from getting involved in the whole situation. Jaimie had a tough job, her father was scrambling to not fly out there but saw her put her foot down for once and had John Finn back away or she's ensure that he didn't get to meet his grandchildren for months. That led John backing down in frustration while Jaimie told the laughing Valerie Finn that she meant every word with Valerie shooting back, "I'd expect nothing less from you, he needs to let you and Rick do this on your own and trust you. You are still his little girl, even if you are all grown up." The drive felt like forever but did allow them to calm themselves before they overthought the situation. It was going in their favor, there was no way the judge would allow the kids to go with anyone else. It was also helped that the judge was favorable to families with clean records and placing kids safely. Inside the courtroom the kids went to an office while the adults went to a conference room. Mario was reluctant to leave Jenna's side, but he had no choice in the matter and had Eli needing him to be close by to help calm him. Olivia had the girls to help her, but Eli needed the just-as- masculine Mario to get himself calmed enough to answer any questions that would be asked of them. The kids were joined by Jo Kaplan and her son, with Jo serving as the kids' advocate so they didn't get railroaded by an eager social worker as well as protect Rick and Jaimie's reputations for the sure to be claimed false accusations by "interested parties." The social worker assigned could easily be digging for dirt and see what the kids said taken out of context to be used in the hearing against them. Sylvia knew not to talk much, with Tracy and Emily catching on quickly and had Olivia focus on doing schoolwork and playing games while the boys did the same on their own. In the courtroom, the combined Samuels/Daniels group were joined by Francesca, Donald, Ella, Flora, and the late-arriving Jack and Benny. Jaimie had a look of shock at them being there, to which Jack had to explain, "Under orders from Uncle John to get over here to be with you guys. Did you really think he wouldn't make us come? That was before mom, dad, Aunt Olivia, and the rest of your friends called us. I think Mitch and Sylvia are coming too- they were in San Diego so diverted up here while Jae and Matthew spent the day with their grandparents at the zoo." Mitch and Sylvia Gibson entered, with Sylvia telling Jaimie, "You knew we were nearby and didn't try to call? Come on, sis! It's not nice to leave us out of the fun. Dad was upset that you didn't call for us, Ma and Pa are happy to watch the kids for the day- they are happy to have the chance. We both think it might be subtle hint to get them another grandchild but you know that they won't dare joke about what we do in the bedroom. Plus they are too late- I'm already pregnant again!" The sisters hugged and saw Mitch telling the concerned Rick, "They needed a day together even if this is deadly serious. They are more than happy to keep them away- you know how sensitive they are. Plus I didn't think it's wise for them to hear about Sylvia and us yet, even if they know the truth some things are a bit too intense for them to know." All talk ended as Heath Downey entered with his entourage and Woody Demille. The two sneered but a look of fear passed over them as Mitch looked their way. He stood towering over them without needing to be taller, he was heavily built and made the duo shrink away in fear that he'd do something to them- it was natural, he was a recently retired professional football player so was built like a truck. Social services entered next and saw them upset at the number of people that Jaimie and Rick had. That was followed by talking between two social workers and Heath, with Heath's unfortunate wife looking upset at the whole situation as she clearly wasn't privy to what Heath was doing. Woody complained about "those people" while he kept a close eye on Francesca, with her not bothering to return his gaze as she ignored him completely. Judge Uriah Katz entered and asked for the information about the case. The case was directly handled by a supervisor from social services who explained to Judge Katz, "This is a case of two families trying to house and adopt two children Levi AKA Olivia Curtis and his brother Eli. Both children are in state care due to being orphaned six months ago and have no known relatives. Mr. and Ms. Steven Coppola challenge the placement of the children with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Samuels Jr. It is alleged that they are unfit as the two have a history of abuse and arrests that make them unfit to be foster parents." Judge Katz asked for the backgrounds on both and saw some glaring omissions on Heath's part while he scanned over Rick and Jaimie's files and had to stifle a laugh. He asked if these had been presented to them by the Coppola family leading him to explain, "I think you have been purposely misled. I have come across the Samuels family before and don't believe the accusations at all." He asked if "Mr. Coppola" went by another name. Social services reluctantly admitted, "He goes by the stagename 'Heath Downy'." Judge Katz grinned, then shot back, "Has he finished his current probation or is he on his 10th jail sentence?" That caused the man to cringe while Judge Katz fired back, "I may be a man of legal mind but I follow a few of the tabloids- I love a good laugh. I'm well-aware of Heath Downey and his legal issues. It was a huge sensation 13 or 14 years ago? I do recall he ended up in PRISON for FELONIES. in Boston no less. Come to think about it, it was against Mrs. Samuels' own father making this hearing laughable." Heath looked angered to which Judge Katz calmly explained, "I know that your file is bogus. It's not an accurate file: you left out all of the familial connections that the Samuels family has. I encountered the family several times over the years before- in fact, I heard Mrs. Samuels' cousin's custody case and met her family. None of the members are listed in your file. There's only one reason for that: it's bogus." He asked for Heath's supporting people, with Woody going forward and telling Judge Katz, "I've known the Samuels family for years and they are the most depraved people I've ever met. They constantly try to mutilate children and kidnap them from their families. There's no worse family to place a child with. I can't believe that social services would ever do that to a child, especially a fraud like that thing. She's a fraud! She lied to get a medical degree then lies to families to get them to believe that children are like her. I have proof from her hospital that she's a fraud and they are taking legal action against her!" Judge Katz demanded that then read it, laughed, then countered, "I do believe you are one to talk. You, a man who was convicted of defrauding a movie out of money by trying to shoot simultaneous movies with one funding the other. You were convicted in court of that plus convicted of multiple drug and assault charges stemming from the same illicit behavior. I understand that the crux of your argument is based on your past crimes, which calls into question your whole testimony. Base on your word choice, I believe that your statements are tainted by something worse: your transphobia. Her being transgender is not a crime and not grounds to deny placement. But being associated with you is. Further, you have the gall to claim to have known them, yet was it not Mrs. Samuels' family that you were convicted of your fraud? Your claims stem directly from that making your accusations comedic. You have no actual basis to claim anything against the Samuels family as you don't actually know them!" He asked Heath's wife to speak, with the woman looking upset at what was happening and told him, "I am outraged at my husband for doing this. I have asked him for years to adopt, but he refuses. He's sterile, his drug use have rendered his testicles useless. I love him, but I'm through with him. This was a step too far. These are children- not toys! I don't want to rip them from a loving family just because my husband got humiliated Sunday night. That's what this is all about: he got humiliated by Rick Samuels and is trying hard to destroy Rick and his wife. I don't want any part of it: I'm filing for divorce. I'm not going to let him hurt children because his career is over. I can support myself and children, he can't." She walked out and had Judge Katz smirking. He called Rick and Jaimie forward and asked about all of the people with them. Jaimie explained, "These are my sisters Sylvia and Ella and their spouses Mitch and Flora, Rick's cousin Jack and our friend Francesca, her husband Donald, and her brother Benny. The others with us are my friends Jenna and George who will vouch for our abilities as parents: Jenna is an employee of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and who will be facilitating the future transfer of the children to Massachusetts. All of them were in California so were able to come today, you made mention of my family: we told them to stay away as I don't want it to seem like we flooded the court with people to bully you to get our way." Judge Katz nodded and shot back, "I recall your family and know that you have multiple police officers as well as social workers. Thank you for reining in your father, his presence isn't required as this is a hearing about facts and as he wasn't witness to them he doesn't have anything to add. As for allegations, I do believe that they are false as there is no record in social services' file about them. The fact that it's not there nor was Mr. Coppola's leads me to believe it was done intentionally to prevent the fact that it was clean from being used. Your license is also up to date and your medical training is undeniable. I do believe that there's more going on than was told to me, can you fill me in on that?" Jaimie growled, "My hospital is upset that I am resigning to take a job back in Massachusetts with my aunt. I'm their token diversity employee but I refuse to be that anymore. I am not happy with the job as it is clear that I'm only there for publicity and not to help anyone. The kids being treated by me was the biggest job I've had since I started there and it's also the last: I can't come back now that I know that I'm being alleged to have lied in school to get my job. I won't work there anymore. I don't need to work, I can support the family all on the interest of my bank account alone so working is only to help kids." He grinned and had what he wanted: it was all a ploy to get her to stay with them. He countered, "I'll be sure to make my statement for your lawsuit. I have to ask about the children: why were you asked to be their foster parent if you were their doctor? And why were you their doctor in the first place?" She sighed and explained, "Due to Levi AKA Olivia being feminine, she was in constant fights. She and her brother were nearly killed and needed to recuperate in the hospital, with multiple surgeries on their faces to repair injuries to them. Olivia started to become depressed and was on the verge of doing what the resident felt was close to suicide. I was called in to evaluate her for that but in doing so Olivia saw fit to admit to me what she had been feeling for years and had been nurtured by her parents prior to their deaths. She strongly leaned female and could no longer fight the urges to be female." She sighed again and explained further, "Due to the fact that they had such horrible reputations due to Olivia being so feminine and Eli fighting anyone who tried to go after Olivia the children were unable to be placed anywhere. We tried all of our sources and came up short. With no other alternative, we took them in so they could get back to normal. I have stepped back from treating Olivia but had my colleague Dr. Ana Gomez take over for me. It was confirmed by her yesterday that Olivia truly is transgender. During the previous week she took the name of 'Olivia' as her own, and has not once been in male clothing since we bought her feminine clothes. The two broke down at hearing the news about Mr. Coppola trying to get the kids, they had their hearts set on us adopting them. We wanted to do that, but have to abide by your wishes." The gender issue was asked about, with Jaimie explaining, "It's thoroughly ingrained as per her brother. She has acted feminine for years and dressed with their mother before their parents were killed. Being a girl in all but body caused issues with boys at school causing their expulsion and assaults. Her brother did his best to protect her but he was outmatched by higher numbers and larger sizes. He deeply loves his sister and is protective of her to the point of exhausting himself trying to keep her safe even at our home. He wants her to be happy and has expressed his desires that she stay with us to remain as a girl." He had heard enough and asked for the children to be brought in. The girls and Mario were asked about to which Jenna explained, "They are mine and George's children. Mario is being fostered by us so had to come on this trip. He's helping Eli adjust to being around others while Eli is helping him get used to us. The two are the same age and share a lot in common beyond being in foster care so are growing close." Judge Katz asked the kids to step forward then announced, "I am of the belief that you two are better off with Jaimie and Richard Samuels. The fact that you have countless support and people who understand you helps greatly. Mr. Coppola doesn't have that kind of support nor do I believe that he has your best interests at heart. In my opinion, this was all about himself and how he can use you two to further his career. I don't doubt for a minute that he had talk shows and interviews awaiting you this evening. I am awarding Jaimie and Richard Samuels full custody of you. Case is dismissed." Judge Katz grinned as Heath was led out by bailiffs who handed him off to awaiting deputies who took him into custody on charges of perjury for filing false claims for lying on his foster parent application. It was followed by Woody being arrested for the same, only his was for outstanding court fees. The two were caught on camera by the paparazzi that they had called in to tout Heath doing a, "Noble act by his opening of his home to children in need" but saw them turn the tables on the duo. Social services had to fire the people involved in the case as their financial records showed payments in the amount of $10,000 each from Heath. There was no retaliation against Rick and Jaimie as they had a strong figure in Judge Katz supporting them and with their legal might it was pointless. The couple had a clear path to adoption, their applications were clean and their records too strong to not approve of. The matter of Jaimie's hospital needed to be addressed and saw Jo and Phyllis' children doing the work for Jamie as they sued the hospital for libel and defamation then sued Jaimie's medical school for going along with the lie. The medical school tried to claim that they weren't in on it then showed that it was just two people: both of whom were members of her hospital's board of directors. They refused to be party to the duo's actions and stood by Jaimie, demanding that the duo show evidence that Jaimie had lied to anyone, had hurt children when she was called in to speak with them AFTER they had shown a strong feeling that they were transgender, and how she had defrauded anyone out of anything. They had no response. They tried to get the lawsuit dismissed but Judge Katz sent word to the judge on duty that it was a valid lawsuit making it remain. They'd have to fire her or accept fault for their claims. Seeing no alternative, the hospital fired Jaimie. They claimed that she had violated rules when she had taken the kids in but never actually cited the actual rules that she had violated. Rick read over the entire employee handbook, all hospital personnel rules, and every publicly available record and could not find any such rule- they had terminated her without cause thus violated her contract. Jaimie didn't bother anymore and submitted her resignation effective immediately and taking vacation so she didn't have to return to the hospital again. Jo and Phyllis joined her for the trip to the hospital to allow her to be unmolested by security while also ensuring that Ana was covered in case they took her out alongside Jaimie. Ana simply told them that she'd had enough of their politicking and put in for her retirement, allowing her to be free of their antics while also allowing her to move on to other things. The hospital wasn't happy to lose both but couldn't stop them. Jaimie was owed a month of vacation and had two additional months worth of days saved up making her leaving coincide with the date that she had originally set for her resignation. Her contract was up then, something that Jaimie forgot about in the hubbub yet but made their actions make more sense. Jo and Phyllis escorted her to her locker then to personnel, filed the paperwork for her to take all of her remaining vacation days, then told the hospital's head of HR that Jaimie would not be re-signing due to actions taken against her in trying to force her to remain despite her contract being up. They had to go along with the Kaplans' orders as she was due that time off and the hospital's legal staff weren't going to support the administrators who tried to force Jaimie to stay then violated her contract with them. She was free to go and was paid the full amount of her vacation pay while also being told that the hospital would be in contact with her regarding a settlement for wrongful termination. The drive back home was one that she was happy to make, but first saw her stopping off at Ana's office to say goodbye and hope that her retirement went well. Ana smiled at her and happily told her, "I did my part in life and can be there for my grandchildren. I'm happy that you'll be carrying on for me." At home, Jaimie ran for Olivia and Eli and hugged them deeply. She proudly told the duo, "I'm done at the hospital and will be able to go east with you two. Mom and dad will put us up for a bit while Rick finishes up here. Sylvia, sadly, will have to transfer but I know she'll do alright with dad and the other teachers. You two need to get back to normal and that means going back to school." Sylvia asked if she could go that weekend, there was no need to delay and Rick could handle things by teleconference. Rick nodded, with Jo and Phyllis telling him, "You can handle things online and from an office in Boston. It's not that big of a deal anymore and you were going to do this anyway. We have the buyout ready for you to utilize, but it'll take a couple of weeks to get sorted: the1st you are free of us." It was settled. After nearly 13 years away, the Samuels family was returning to Winnisimmet. Rick did the honors and called his parents then called John and Valerie, with all four happy to hear the news. The family didn't let the lost day get to them as they decided to go out on the town and enjoy watching a taping of Jack and Benny's show. The duo laughed at seeing them there and hastily rewrote the show to include them in several sketches, including one that saw Jack get made to look like a fool by Olivia as she ignored his attempts to make her laugh. That mirrored real life as she did that to him on Sunday- which was the whole point of the sketch in the first place. The audience loved the kids and saw Jack and Benny happily telling them who the kids were and why they had attended the taping and why their appearance meant so much to both them and the rest of the cast of the show. The kids had the biggest applause as Jack announced Eli and Olivia were his newest cousins and the two had hit the lottery in finding two parents who loved them deeply as their own children. Benny was happy to tell the audience that your family is more than who you are related to, it's who you love and the friends that you make- once again echoing the family's unofficial motto to show how much the kids meant to them. The whole evening was one of great fun for the cast as their ideas were used over some of the ones that the professional writers wanted to use. Jack and Benny were smart, this was their chance to show that it was a group effort and they had a say in what happened on the show. Their ideas were easy to do or had the biggest laughs of the show, with Jack and Benny both telling the cast what they had done while the professional writers fumed at the kids upstaging them with such short notice and next to no budget. Olivia was happy to perform but didn't want to be an actress. Eli loved doing the comedy bits as one of the "straight men" that countered the duo's off-the-wall antics. Both couldn't believe that they were part of a family that would let them do that and change things around to allow them to do it at all. The rest of the week was basic visiting places that the kids hadn't been to see before- LA Zoo, La Brea Tar Pits, Venice Beach, and Disneyland. Mario nearly fainted when he heard about Disneyland, crying in Jenna's shoulder as she told them while both Eli and Olivia hugged Jaimie and Rick. The only one to not go on the trip was George, he got stuck working at the Peterson Manufacturing LA offices so was forced to miss out on the trip to a place he didn't really want to visit again. George was doing some background work for Jaimie and Rick so all three kids could go to school that Monday. His work at Peterson was just a routine inspection and took him 10 minutes thanks to staff at the office being thorough in following cyber security protocols. He was feared by management at the office and had them doing whatever it took to avoid a visit, with his visit catching them off guard but not unprepared and able to cope with his presence- much to his satisfaction and their relief especially as he told them that they had one of the most secure offices in the company. He visited Sylvia's school and told them about her transferring east sooner than expected. The principal was alright with the withdrawal as George had all of the proper people notified and a quick phone call verified what he was claiming. Jaimie not being there in person was asked about, with George simply telling the principal, "She's busy with her newest children and I've been to Disneyland too many times- my two daughters made me go there twice already and I visited with my brother years before that." He left and went to Olivia and Eli's former school, getting the principal to be relieved that the two were OK and that they were leaving for good reasons. He asked about their well-being, being told a somber, "The two are doing better thanks to their bruising all but disappearing but are still on edge. Things are a lot better for you than could have been, their new parents understand why you expelled them so don't hold it against you as it was something that they weren't able to address before the assaults. You should know that Levi is now living as Olivia so the assaults were more than homophic: they were transphobic and had they gone on while under her parents' care would have caused serious civil action." The principal sighed and asked if she had been diagnosed. George grinned and countered, "In full. She had an initial one in the hospital leading to them being placed with their foster parents then had another by a colleague since their foster-mother was her psychiatrist. It was bad for her before she came out, it was for the best that she didn't return to your school. You aren't blamed, you did the only thing that you could do under the circumstances. The fact that you asked about the diagnosis showed that you would have done more than just blamed her- you would have assisted her as required by law." He took copies of the kids' records and drove to the mansion. He relaxed alone, with him falling asleep in a lounger by the pool and the girls awakening him with a splash. He just smiled at the four, it was funny and he loved it. The group visited Flora and Ella's boutique several times and got to enjoy watching them take several of their "clients" to task for their attitudes as well as spending some quality time with Olivia while the two awaited John's inevitable phone call to them about making an appointment to be inseminated by Flora's frozen semen. Eli ignored their talking and got their sales clerks to act as babysitters while the boutique was quiet, letting Jaimie and Ella talk in private while Flora made phone calls to designers to showcase their fashions without being taken for a ride by the designers' latest outrageous trends. Olivia was at home with the ladies, so much so that she showed an interest in fashion that Sylvia never did and gave Flora and Ella a chance to talk with her on the same level that their nieces never did. Rick's final day at the office was bittersweet as he said goodbye to the staff while also enduring being put on display by the Kaplans as someone who was leaving for all of the right reasons and not for more money or power. The message was clearly targeted at several rivals of Rick who had intended on using his departure to their advantage, but the announcement that the partnerships were being pared down so only the Kaplans were partners gave those who wanted to takeover the firm reason to finally leave and show their true colors to all. He had no problem being the scapegoat, he didn't care about their politics anymore and was glad that the younger Kaplans showed that they cared about the firm's legacy while also taking it in new directions under the new leadership. He walked away with a hefty buyout, one that he didn't really need yet would go a long way toward his three children and their futures. The money was put into a trust fund, with his aunt Beverly insisting that he have a fourth fund created- for the fourth child that she knew in her heart that both would have and would be by his own semen again, but this time without the sad backstory. The family wasn't done expanding, they'd be parents again in at most another two years if she and her sister had their way! Friday and Saturday saw them visiting the set of Francesca's movie and enjoying the kids being able to be involved in a scene set at a school with Emily and Tracy getting to say a couple of lines in the movie as their little banter between takes got the notice of the director who had use for their natural chemistry. It was helped immensely that they were all technically producers on the movie since it was yet another of Inferno Pictures' movies, a teen comedy with Francesca as the lovable teacher trying hard to keep it together in a crazy school. It wasn't too far off for her as she played someone similar to her mother! Tracy and Emily ended up filming multiple scenes as their characters were expanded to including many speaking parts and as "go-to" stand-ins for the actresses while also able to not react to the action around them. Francesca talking with them between takes caused some friction with the cast but the fact that the two knew Francesca intimately had her ear caused them to back down since Francesca was a producer of the movie and could easily reshoot their scenes with replacement actors. Francesca wisely smoothed the ruffled feathers by insisting that they were only there to see her but got roped in by accident. The girls were happy to be in the movie and work four days, especially as they officially qualified for a SAG card for being in four movies and a TV show. Emily one-upped her sister by actually having lines in all four movies compared to just one for her sister, giving Tracy a bout of jealousy but not so much that she would cause a problem. Francesca happily congratulated them while the cast asked about what she meant, with them seeing that the kids were more experienced than they appeared even if their being there was only to be them enjoying seeing the movie being made. Olivia kept away from the cameras and enjoyed watching the action from afar. She spotted Lola Walsh at work in the makeup area and went over to her to watch her work, shadowing her while the girls filmed their scenes. Lola appreciated the company and had her learn some basic skills, especially as a couple of actresses volunteered to help her out. It was stereotypical to do that with a "new girl" but it was great fun for her and she learned a lot from Lola. Lola loved touting how she taught her father how to do makeup, with Olivia asking if all of the dads did that. That caused Lola to laugh hard as the other ladies asked what was so funny. Lola steeled herself and explained, "It's something that they do once per year thanks to one of the dads doing it for his daughter. All of the dads have had makeovers thanks to their daughters, but one dad did it one step further: he told about doing a makeover and dressing as a woman with his girlfriend when he was your age. Now all of the dads do it once per year during summer vacation with the dads having a competition to see who can look their best. Dad is banned from entering, my uncles have declined due to work, my brother refuses because he doesn't want to remember that he was born a girl and none of the dads or kids blame him for that. The rest all do it. John Finn has won it three times, he also has the most at stake- if he doesn't place in the top three his daughters and granddaughters make him wear a dress for a full weekend. Yes, that John Finn: the owner of Inferno Pictures. He doesn't hide that his family has that competition and he doesn't care what anyone thinks since the kids love it." George sought Olivia and immediately told Lola, "No. Last time I let you near me with makeup you put henna on me- do you have any idea how hard it is to work with designs all over your face? If I wasn't at the main office I'd have had issues with the staff ignoring me or refusing to work with me. Seriously- a smiley face? And penises? HAHAHA very funny!" That caused everyone to laugh while Olivia blushed at the penis remark. Lola gave her a hug and told her, "He didn't mention that I painted boobs and worse on his chest. That's family-only knowledge."