Parents Again Part 2- Finale free porn video

The kids went out with the Walshes and Lees Saturday night so their parents could pack. They endured paparazzi disturbing their arrival at the museum, but had "Little Lee" blushing as Tracy kissed him on the lips to give them what they wanted. She happily whispered to him, "I don't mind looking like I'm your boyfriend, it's a nice feeling. Plus, you are pretty handsome. Maybe girls will start to notice you after they ask why you broke up with your 'girlfriend'." The museum was fun for the kids as they enjoyed seeing many exhibits and meeting artists. Tracy and Emily knew some of the works personally and told Mario, Eli, and Olivia about what was going on in them. Their frank talk caused the curator to complain about their false information, but Brice told the man, "They know the artist personally. They'd know all about the paintings: they were forced to help do the cleaning of his brushes and prepare the canvases as punishment- something that the kids their age have to do as one of the harshest punishments their parents dole out. 'Virgil York' isn't a pseudonym, it's his real name and what you came up with is total garbage. It's just a painting: he painted how he felt and nothing more. He doesn't need a concocted idea, it's just what came in his mind's eye." The girls showed a picture of him with them, enjoying the curator's face fall as they had him there- it was all a lie to get interest in the paintings. That was followed by questions from others about the man as he was "new" and "unknown" with the girls happily telling those who asked that he was happy to be an artist on his own terms and painted as he felt and what you see is just art and doesn't need any kind of fake description- just his own feelings at the time of painting. It helped immensely as the little scene drew attention to the works with the name, "Virgil York" started to make the rounds online causing a few prominent galleries to take a close look at the man's works and seek out some of his paintings. The girls were happy to have done that for their uncle, especially as he made them work hard when the two were punished by working in his studio. He enjoyed showing them how to draw and paint and even hung their first works on his gallery's wall in a place of honor in a location that would catch the eyes of anyone who entered his gallery. He'd never sell them, they were for special people who had an impact on him and whom he felt deserved to be shown even if they were never going to be sold. Sunday's filming was hurried along as the girls had a plane to catch, with the younger kids happy to be with their parents at home swimming most of the morning then playing on the game system for the rest of the time. When the girls finally returned they packed the rest of their things and shuttled off to the airport for their private flight east. This was kept from Eli and Olivia, but it was a big treat for them as they got to spread out and eventually fall asleep, with Eli curled up in Jaimie's lap while Olivia slept in the grumpy George's lap much to his dismay. The flight required a layover in Dallas but saw the kids too tired to do anything except sleep. Mario had the most energy but it was mostly due to having flown nine days before. He happily played on an iPad while Eli and Olivia slumbered, knowing that the two were scared but didn't want to show it directly. In Boston, the family were greeted by John and Valerie who hugged and kissed the two new kids. Both were scared of what they'd do but Jaimie's big hug and kiss to John caused them to ease off of the fear. Rick was asked about, with Jaimie explaining, "He's coordinating the move. We aren't sure if we want to sell the house or keep it as a west coast getaway. I'm thinking of keeping it, I don't want Brice and Lee to get neighbors who'd destroy their peace and quiet." John smirked to which Valerie groaned and explained, "Your sister is buying it! The little weasel did an end-run around us and bought it from Rick. I can only assume that she's going to have a baby soon." Jaimie nodded, John added, "She told me this morning. She's flying east to do it so they are all set for Christmas. It's for the best, they liked having the kids there and wanted more for themselves." The family drove to the Finn home and saw Eli and Olivia glued to the windows. Jaimie casually told the two, "It's normal, everyone does that. It's so different than you're used to. This is a small place, but it is a lot bigger than it appears so you get used to driving as well as walking." The drive led to a familiar place, the Samuels home. Jaimie asked why they were going there, John did his best to hide his shame but Valerie explained, "Olivia and Richard wanted you to be with them. They never get to see Sylvia while we see her once a month. Alison thought it best to have them stay here so they aren't overwhelmed by people trying to help. Your cousins are up in Bradford while the Byrne-Torros are taking the week off to give you space so you are alone to get used to the neighborhood. We are nearby, but it's for the best that they get eased into the family." Jaimie got the gist of it: Olivia would want to emulate the older girls and having too many people who wanted to do things their way would hurt the kids without realizing it. It was alright in her eyes, the two did need to get used to having people wanting to help them while Eli could use kids close to his age but not all at once. He'd get used to her niece and nephew Quinn and Ryder coming by but would need a bit of time to understand that neither wanted him for what he had since both had a lot more. The family were met outside by Olivia Samuels and saw her hugging Sylvia tight then introduced to the scared Eli and Olivia. She shed a tear at the little girl letting her own name become hers, with both hugging while Eli cautiously looked on. She led the kids inside and showed them to their rooms, with Sylvia whining about having to go up to the attic to stay since it didn't have five bedrooms. Eli saw his room looked like a boy's room and featured logos of sports teams with walls painted in blue and red colors similar to the colors of the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox. He liked what he saw, especially as it had a TV and gaming system with lots of games. The elder Olivia happily told him 'this was Thomas' room. He loves sports so much that he became a gym teacher and coach." In the next room, the younger Olivia got to see a room featuring pinks and purple colors and a vanity table with lights and mirror. She had a dreamy look as she opened drawers and saw makeup in them, with Jaimie groaning and telling her, "You are too young for that. I swear she left them on purpose so Sylvia would find them and use them. This was Al's room. She's the girl that I told you about who was forced to be a girl because of an accident. She's a beautiful woman, she took to being a girl faster than anyone could have hoped and loves being a woman. She also found herself a great man in her husband Kyle- he's a firefighter and one of the top hazardous materials technicians in the state." Jaimie helped her unpack then explained to her, "Your grade has no other family members except Elise Smith, but she rarely has contact with us due to her parents' busy schedules and always going with her friends. Her friends don't interact much so we don't know them well and can't vouch for how they may react to you. Don't get upset if they aren't sure about you, it's just that you are new to them and Elise can be kind of possessive of them and forget that she's family to us." She moved on to her new room and groaned at seeing the pictures of Gavin and Cat strewn about. Cat had to have decorated the room for Gavin as it was her style- pictures of the two together, pictures of all of their friends, pictures of Cat in sexy poses. It was like a shrine to Cat, with Cat knowing full well that it looked like that yet was happy to make it seem that way as Gavin loved her deeply. Jaimie started to remove the pictures from the walls and came across a note addressed to her from Cat causing her to shake her head in disappointment. Cat wrote, "So you finally moved here? Guess my joke ran its course. Only you would get it, Jaimie. Rick is just way too dense and Al doesn't bother with us anymore since she's so busy being the next big executive. Thomas is Thomas and doesn't care one way or another- but you get me. You always have. Enjoy the room, all of us missed you and are happy that you guys are back even if we aren't all together anymore." She had to hide her tears as Cat hit her hard. The elder Olivia asked what was wrong and read the note, letting out a happy, "She worships you. She loves Sylvia and Ella, but you two share a special bond. It's something that JD and Michael, Ella and Sylvia, and John and Logan share- something more than just being family. She's your biggest legacy among your generation- the one you have the most impact on. You might have helped Trinity and Al and Nichole and Kylie adjust to being girls, but she's been your biggest fan and the one who goes to you for help no matter what. She worships her big sister." She smiled at hearing that, with Olivia sagely telling her, "We all saw it. None of us wanted to say it, but we saw it. We thought that it was why she and Gavin got so close so early, but it was clear that she was in love with him and he needed a family to love him back. She's her own person, she loved him for all of the right reasons. He loved her the same, but wanted to honor your family for all of what they did for him before we adopted him. He always felt like John's son even when he was just another student and then as our son. Rick and Thomas are keeping our family name alive, John deserved the chance to have his name live on through his own bloodline. She's the ultimate Finn in his eyes: the best of all worlds. I am happy to see them grow as people and grow their family. She'll kill me for telling you, but that little minx is trying to have a baby with him!" Jaimie blushed and shot back, "We all know. She isn't too good at keeping secrets from us. We may not be close by, but she told Sylvia to get us to have another baby. That changed when the kids came into our lives: we won't have one until they are situated and doing well. We are happy as we are now." Olivia smiled but knew full well that Jaimie was trying to find excuses to not undergo the scrutiny that others would give her. She was prime to be a mother again: she had her legacy secured in the younger Olivia, had a solid job where she was wanted instead of used, had a family to support her in full instead of being too far away to do much except talk, and a home that they'd buy in the near future. It was the last piece of their life: a baby to raise without any sad backstory or need to explain to others. Their closeness was broken by Sylvia entering and complaining about the mess in the attic. Olivia gave her a smile as Jaimie cringed and told her, "It's your own fault. You were the one who joked about boys last time you were here. She said she'd put you in the attic if you didn't rein-in your hormones, then you went and were caught with a boy's hands up your shirt at your friend's house three weeks ago- did you think that I wouldn't get told? Just because I was distracted by work then your brother and sister didn't meant that I forgot about that! Keep your hormones in check, Chance is back home so I know you'll be over his house as soon as Brady hears that you are here permanently. The spitfire will want you over to enjoy some quality time together so you and Chance get get closer without officially dating- yet." Sylvia blushed deeply while Olivia raised an eyebrow. Jaimie nodded and added, "She's on birth control. I didn't want her to chance things with a boy who was connected to a power-hungry family. I remember what happened to Sally York before she got adopted, I didn't want that to happen to Sylvia. She's likely the ultimate target for those kind of boys, a virgin with deep pockets and a lot of family wealth. We do trust her to be pure and chaste, but it's better to be safe than sorry and fight some bastard extorting her." Sylvia was beet red at hearing sex talk from her mother, Olivia casually told the teen, "The boys know to back away from you. None of the boys in school want to upset your grandfather nor uncle. Johnny and Chance are the only worthy single boys in your year, so Chance knows he's the one for you. He likes you a lot, we can see it in how he responds to Johnny talking about you. He wants you to be happy so if you aren't meant for him he'll help find you a great boyfriend to date no matter what." Jaimie walked up to Sylvia's room and saw that it was mostly filled with boxes of old clothes and other things that the family hadn't had a chance to part with. It was fairly large so there was plenty of space to move them around but her bed was covered in boxes. Jaimie understood what her problem now was, it was intentionally covered in boxes by someone. When Jaimie moved the boxes out of the way, it had a note on it from Cat which said, "Don't joke about boys or you'll end up staying with dad. He's tougher than us, he'll homeschool you until 18 then send you off to college in a convent. Go easy on boys, they aren't all nice. Chance is kinda cute..." Jaimie laughed as Sylvia blushed deeply at Cat's subtle teasing. She got her good with the prank, it was a warning and a blessing: Chance and she should date. Sylvia smiled at the idea, with Olivia kissing her cheek and telling her affectionately, "He likes you a lot too. He's the right boy for you. Johnny is just too close to you. Neither of you are blood, but you two are too close to ever date. Chance is the right boy, just give him a chance to show that he's not like other boys." Sylvia nodded and told her timidly, "I like him a lot. I know that he likes me, Johnny tells me that he's a great guy and doesn't want to date anyone because he likes me. Aunt Addison said he's trying hard to be a businessman like her but he's better at math than making people feel happy. He's like dad, I guess I'm too much like her. She said we were great for each other even if I might find a boy out west." Jaimie helped her clean the boxes and move them around, then told her, "We'll see about a new house. I want to have plenty of space but if you want to stay here maybe your sister can join you so you have a person close by? You hate storms and this house shakes a lot." Mother and daughter nodded to one another, it was for Olivia's sake that she have her own space. She asked her mother about the room, with Jaimie carefully telling her, "We might have use for it. I think it needs repainting, something neutral. Your grandmother wants us to have another baby and I think if we do have one that's the best place for the baby. We don't want to burden her and your grandfather, but it's clear that they want us to stay here and give them another grandchild. You'll be fine with Olivia here." Downstairs, the elder Olivia looked in on the kids. Eli looked bored while her namesake looked like she was afraid to do anything. Olivia led them downstairs and had them watch TV, with Olivia doing her best to not smile as the younger Olivia relaxed more and more. She was happy to see the girl being herself and enjoyed having her start to realize that the house was her home, complete with a grandma. Olivia had the younger Olivia help her set the table for dinner, with her asking, "Would you be offended if I called you 'Liv'? It's the nickname my grandmother called me when I was your age, I loved her a lot and hoped Rick would have named one of his daughters after me so I could continue the tradition." She tearfully nodded, hugging Olivia deeply for the heartfelt and touching request. Jaimie caught the scene and smiled, then told Eli, "Your sister just got a nickname. I think it's a nice one. You don't have to call her it if you don't want to." He shrugged and sat down to eat, with Olivia smiling at Jaimie who groaned and added, "Is there going to be anything that doesn't remind you of Rick when he was the same age? He's only been with us three weeks, he hasn't had as much contact with Rick as you think. Some stuff is just normal behavior." Eli looked at her oddly, Sylvia grinned and whispered, "You act like dad when he was your age. You're so much like dad that grandma is seeing him in you. It's funny, grandma Valerie sees mom in me so it's something they like being reminded of even if we aren't doing it intentionally. It's just us." The meal was delayed a few minutes for some reason. Sylvia realized what was happening and blurted out, "We forgot grandpa!" Olivia nodded while Jaimie explained to the kids, "Pop is coming soon. He had to work today so wasn't there to pick us up. He hates working Sundays but someone had to work." A few minutes later a tired-looking man entered the house, complaining about the car parked in their driveway. He looked over and saw Jaimie and Sylvia and hugged both, then hugged the kids. Both were unsure how to react, so Sylvia told him, "Sorry, grandpa, but mom wanted to come as soon as possible." Olivia had him sit down and eat, with her insisting that he needed to stop being so grumpy. He asked if they had school settled, with Jaimie happily telling him, "All set for tomorrow. Dad expects her bright and early with Uncle Jake ready to assign her classes. Liv and Eli have to see Aunt Yvette first, they may be in different schools than the others. I think she might be put into Ronda Eliza's class so she's in a place with someone who knows her. As for Eli, I think he's going with Mario, Ryder, and Quinn." Richard heard his grandmother-in-law's nickname for Olivia and winced. Olivia laughed at the memory of the only person ever to tell him that he was an idiot for not listening to Olivia- that same mistake had a big impact, it led to Rick's conception. Sadly for the family, he'd be an only child due to issues with her body due to a miscarriage during her second pregnancy so the memory stung even more. The kids started to get tired so were put to bed, with Sylvia doing her best to not smile as Liv and Eli gave their new grandparents kisses as they drifted off to sleep. She was told to do the same, they knew that she'd be up most of the night texting her cousins and Chance if she didn't get told to stop. It wasn't without merit, but she wasn't in the mood to answer questions all night from her younger cousins. Nearby, Mario settled into his room for a long night. He enjoyed being home again, with his grandmom being happy to entertain him while Jenna had to rush off to buy food and then help babysit her young nephew for her sister. Anne Connors loved doing that for Jenna, especially as the little boy was quiet and loved her company even if he played on his iPad and watched TV most of the time. Tracy and Emily went out with friends to tell them about their trip and get the latest gossip. All talk was on Simon and his getting close to a girl from school, with the girls seeing that it was upsetting Emily. It was a test, and she failed miserably as her feelings for him belied the truth: she liked him a lot. They told her the truth: he went out to enjoy fun with the guys and was out of contact all week. They only knew that he was home thanks to posting pictures of the guys at their cabin, with Johnny doing all of the camerawork while their cousin Quentin did the bulk of the hard work in the pictures. True to the guys' fathers, they were acting exactly like them and made the girls long for them. Tracy was teased by her cousins, but all of them knew that she wasn't ready for boys yet. The fact that she had gotten kissed by "Little Lee" made them look at her in awe- she had done what they had not done yet, been kissed by a cute boy who wasn't related to them. The fact that she was on TV and got to be in another movie made them even more jealous, but that was their own fault- they refused to visit any of their aunts out west so didn't have the chances to be in front of the camera like they had been. The girls bid their cousins goodbye, with the girls dreading their inevitable meeting with their aunts and uncles alongside their 2nd- cousins and father's cousins. Their great-aunt Crystal was the one who scared them the most, if they acted up out in California she'd ensure that they changed diapers at the family's preschool during summer vacation instead of working. She didn't let them get away with any bad behavior, especially as the girls took advantage of her being school librarian frequently at school. The extended Daniels family actually didn't come by thanks to Jenna requesting that they stayed away so Mario didn't feel like he was being put on display. It was her way of telling them that he was doing alright and didn't have any issues. The boy had done more for Eli and Liv than anyone, with Liv being a great help in letting him see that the family did love him despite being new to them. In the morning, Jaimie and Jenna took the kids to school and had to endure Jake Bollinger looking over his great-niece with a look of anger and frustration. Jaimie smirked and told him, "It's not her fault, it's actually his own doing- he wanted to rewrite the show and made it better by being himself. You know how he is with the kids, especially when he wants to make them laugh. The whole show as redone, and the cast ended up putting on their best work thanks to it. The show might even win an Emmy now!" Jake grunted and let it go, with Sylvia meekly being escorted to class by Jake. She didn't need to have an introduction as her teachers knew who she was and why she was there. John took care of all of her work ahead of time and got her into the same classes she took in Los Angeles. At the elementary school, Ivan King met the kids and explained to Jaimie, "She was dead-on in what she predicted. I'm sorry to say, Olivia, but you're going to be in my school and in Ronda Eliza's class. She's a great teacher and knows all about girls like you- her sister and wife are transgender too." Liv nodded, with Jaimie telling him, "She's using 'Liv' as a nickname thanks to ma. She's smart for her age so should fit right in with Ronda's students. As for Eli, maybe putting him with Mario, Quinn, and Ryder will work. Being with cousins and someone who understands foster care should help him out." He nodded and agreed with her about doing that, he made the change so all they had to do was take the kids to their new classes and introduce them to the other students. Ronda greeted them outside and gave the scared Liv a hug then told her, "I know you are scared but the students fear Mr. King more than any other person in school. Your class is well- behaved and your teachers next year and beyond will be the best you've ever had. I can't promise that it won't be boring at times, but you are safe with us and will be learning a lot of fun things- even if you don't realize it yet." She introduced Liv to the class then seated her next to a young girl named Brooklyn Sanders. Brooklyn was happy to meet her and helped her get up to speed in class while being nice enough to not ask if she really was transgender. Liv was grateful to her for being nice to her even if it was only temporary as it was inevitable that someone would cause an issue making them break apart. During lunch, Liv was finally asked if it was true that she was transgender. Liv couldn't lie to the class so told them all, "I'm a girl. I have boy parts but I'm a girl. I won't lie to you, I lied to myself for years. I am a girl no matter what anyone says. Go ahead and beat me up, I'm used to it. It's all kids ever do to me. I can take it. Get your punches in, you know you want to hurt me." The blows never came. Brooklyn hugged her and walked her off while kids stared at them in disbelief. It was shocking that anyone would do that, let alone expect a horrible beating in return. Nearby, Mario and Eli kept close but didn't say anything. Ryder and Quinn Finn joined them but didn't offer words of encouragement or talk much themselves. Eli eventually asked the two why they were so close to him, getting a giggle from Quinn while Ryder told him, "We're your cousins- that's why." Quinn offered a happy, "Mom and dad told us to stick close to you to protect you from boys who will be after you because they want to show that they can hurt one of us. You are a Finn now, even if you will be a Samuels by name. Aunt Jaimie is a Finn, people are jealous of Finns. Mario is one too, but his dad and mom aren't as rich or powerful as Aunt Jaimie and they are afraid of his grandpa. Nobody upsets Grunkle Mike. He, Grunkle Mick, and Grunkle Alex are the toughest people in the family!" Eli didn't say anything else, he kept to himself all day but did get put together with Mario so had him as an ear if he needed it. He liked Mario, even if he didn't have the heart to tell the boy that he liked him as a friend. Mario was the nicest boy he'd ever met and didn't have to say much as his actions made his intentions clear: he'd work with him but wouldn't let him do all of the work, something Eli liked a lot. After school, Eli got a crash course in cousins and 2nd-cousins as Elise Smith sauntered over to him to say hello. She had a crooked smile, to which Jaimie boldly told her, "Don't even think about it. He's too new to the family to put up with your pranks. Don't even think about pulling the trick on Liv, she's in an even more vulnerable position than him. I have no problem banning you from the kids if I have to, I'm not afraid of your mother nor do I care what she says about your being a good kid at heart. You need to stop acting like a brat whenever she's not around. This is your only warning: I don't have to put up with your crap. You may be Hannah's daughter, but I'd be happy to cut her out of my life if it helps Liv." Elise walked off in shame, with Hannah nodding to Jaimie that it was needed and she was fine with it. Jaimie looked down at the scared Eli and explained to him, "She's been getting a bit too snobby for her own good. It's because of the people that her mother has to meet with and the kids she ended up having to entertain. Her mother is an author and occasional screenwriter, she created the 'Sammi the Cabbit' book series. I know your sister likes them, I caught her reading a couple during the week. She's a great person at heart, but Hannah is so focused on her books that she forgets that her daughter is there." She turned to Brooklyn and happily told her, "You are a great kid, even if your mom is a terrible person. We're all proud of you. You have family no matter what, she's not the only one in your life anymore. He is still your grandfather and you have aunts and uncles who'll help you if you ask. She fears them, it was clear long ago that the only one she fears more than being mature is our family and you are part of it no matter what she says." Liv asked what she meant. Jaimie walked the kids off and explained, "Her mother is my 2nd-cousin. You are technically her 3rd-cousins. Her mother hates me, but isn't stupid enough to go after me directly. She is afraid of our family so won't act directly- but might act through Brooklyn." When they were back home, she explained in full, "Her mother tormented me throughout high school. She did to me what the boys did to Liv but did it mostly through other people. When that didn't work she finally assaulted me, ending up going to jail for it but going to prison for a bunch of crimes she got caught up in earlier that year. She did things with boys that was against the law, something considered just as bad as touching someone: she filmed boys doing sexual things then filmed herself doing those same things with the boys. Her father and younger sister are two amazing people who made something of themselves while she remained a lazy brat: he is a top scientist and she's a great photographer. You might have even seen some of her pictures, she takes them for sports teams across the country." She had them do their homework then waited until Richard got home to show them the big news. She happily announced, "Jenna and I went to the courthouse to file adoption forms. I'm happy to tell the two of you that in a month you'll be our son and daughter. Jessica handled the paperwork on behalf of DCF so you two are in their care officially and with us until the adoption is finalized. Mario is officially in the care of Uncle Mark who gave him the same blessing." The kids were in tears, with Jaimie adding, "We also filed change of name requests for both of you. I'm happy with the name 'Eli' and chose 'Thomas' as your middle name, I hope you don't mind that. As for you, Liv, I chose Olivia Alecia Samuels for you. Al hoped you'd accept that, she wants you to feel like a part of the family so naming you after her is showing you are he niece now." Both were happy with the names, Eli asked if Thomas was fine with it only to cause Sylvia to complain, "He's telling Grunkle John that he got Aunt Rebecca mad at him for stealing her thunder. He said that she's having a boy! Thomas Jackson Samuels Junior, due in a month." The family celebrated, with the kids happy to be part of a growing family who loved them. Things only got better from there as they got to meet some of their cousins after dinner as Miles Finn came by with his daughter Violet and son Miles Jr. with both rushing to their aunt for hugs. Miles blushed as he saw Liv, with him telling Jaimie, "She's got the cute act down. Same with disarming people with her words. I swear I've seen that before...some young lady who told the entire school the truth and got them to back off of her while making them look bad for thinking the worst about her." She grinned and shot back, "Yeah, Al was great at doing that. Thankfully she didn't have to go home like Al did after she did that big smackdown. Don't worry, maybe one day you'll be that good." Miles grinned at the joke being turned around on him but it fit what happened to Al her first day better. All three had that special moment their first day of school that linked them together even if none of them had experiences quite the same- one almost dying, one showing she wasn't afraid of what happens next, and one standing defiant and accepting that people wouldn't accept her but she wouldn't hide from them. They were linked together by more than just their starts in life: their words were powerful. Eli asked why he didn't see Miles Jr. in school. Miles explained, "He's in Aunt Yvette's school. It was the luck of the draw, your sister needed a teacher who understood her so she ended up in Ronda's class. It's not much different from your school- only where it is in the complex is different." Sylvia came in late and immediately blushed at seeing her uncle there. Jaimie gave her a glare, with the giggling Violet telling Jaimie, "She and Chance had a private talk after school. Grandpa wouldn't let the two be alone so they didn't do anything else. They did make-out with one another, though." Jaimie shook her head to which Sylvia blushed deeply and explained, "He asked me out! He asked me out in front of the whole school! Johnny told him to go for it, Brady wouldn't let him back down. Brady made us sit together in class and refused to let us not sit together at lunch. We talked for an hour before he kissed me. He asked me out on Friday night, Grandpa said it's alright. Johnny has to come too." Jaimie relented, but first called her father to chastise him for arranging a date for Sylvia without Jaimie allowing it. John smirked and shot back, "I did it for Chance. He's been hunted by girls all year, if I left it alone one of the girls would have tried to claim he slept with her to force him to date her. I know you aren't happy with me, but I wouldn't do it unless it was for the greater good. Besides, she does like him a lot. The two need one another and this only proves why. She's been great all day and is doing wonders for all of her cousins- just let her be a teenager for once." Jaimie relented, it was clear that he wasn't backing down and she had to do it for Chance's sake. What would be done to him if he didn't date Sylvia would be criminal- literally, some of the girls weren't in the mood to play around and would accuse him of raping them if he didn't date them. If they weren't meant to be together then they'd break apart and he'd find someone else, but at least they'd have tried. Miles had an ulterior motive for visiting his sister- he wanted to observe her for her father's sake. She couldn't hide her true feelings and mentality from him no matter how hard she tried, he was the only person able to make her tell him everything on her mind and see through her when she was being put under a lot of stress. She was doing great, especially as she handled Sylvia's love life with care. When the Finns left, Jaimie sighed and told Eli and Liv, "He was checking up on me. Dad won't let me get overwhelmed emotionally. If I needed help he'd force Rick to come immediately then have mom go into action. Mom loves doting on her grandchildren, she'd pick you up from school and take you to the doctor while I finished with all of the paperwork and got ready for my job interviews. That isn't needed, but I feel like she's going to make me make you meet her and dad soon- probably this weekend." Rick called to check on the kids and told her the good news: he was all set to fly back as Ella and Flora had moved in after cleaning out their condo and putting it on the market. They also announced that the duo had made a date for the insemination, causing Jaimie to ask about his day with him blushing on the other end. She knew why: he'd stood up for Jaimie in court and made her look great again. Sighing, he told her, "You won big. They were trying hard to get your license revoked unless you signed an exclusive deal with them. Your moving was told to be a hoax meant to counter their contract offer, I told them firmly that you had enough of their crap and what they had done to you then showed that they had tried to defame you in open court with their accusations so forcing you to remain was nothing but extortion. The judge wanted to hear all about it so I told her everything that you had done for the hospital, for free, since your hiring then showed the emails from your medical school and the hospital to show that they were targeting you. Then I showed Judge Katz's statement about the claims in court. I got you not only the full amount but the judge awarded you back pay and ordered them to pay interest. I know it's a small amount of money, but I figured it's worth it to put it away for the four kids." She shed a tear at hearing that, he happily told her, "I lined up a willing donor. Trinity has a friend who needs money and has no problem having our child for us so long as I donate the sperm via professional help. She's a lesbian who doesn't want children herself, but who is happy to help us out. It's all business to her, she needs the money for medical school and doesn't want anything more from us. We'll never get to meet her, Trinity will handle all of the interactions as she's actually in medical school in Worcester." She was full-on crying at hearing that. Olivia hugged her deeply while Richard talked with his son so she could calm herself. Jaimie couldn't believe it, but someone would be willing to give up a child to be a doctor for all of the right reasons instead of being selfish. The rest of the week went slow for the kids as they got used to being in school again and for once- not being afraid of people trying to hurt them because Liv was feminine. Liv thrived under the oversight of Brooklyn, with Brooklyn enjoying having someone who understood what it was like to be the pariah among the kids of their school. She appreciated Brooklyn but felt bad that the two couldn't be closer due to Brooklyn's mother being so angry at Jaimie. Things went well for the kids for the week until Brooklyn's mother caught her talking with Liv after school and berated her in front of their classmates, humiliating her and threatening that if she ever tried to go near her daughter again she'd castrate her. Liv was in tears while Brooklyn was pulled violently away by her mother. She didn't get far and saw Brooklyn being taken off by Miles while the angry Jenna told her mother, "It was nice seeing you again, Monica. Like last time, you're going to get what you deserve. I saw the whole incident and that's assault. I'm pursuing charges against you." Monica Porter tried to slap Jenna but saw Jenna duck and slap her hard, sending her to the ground as the school's police officer intervened to stop Monica from retaliating again. Jenna told the officer that she'd be in contact then took Brooklyn away, with Miles calling Brooklyn's father to let him know that Monica had gotten arrested and was likely to be barred from school if she wasn't already barred. The man sighed, the woman wasn't what he thought she was and made him regret marrying her. Liv was upset, even with Jaimie assuring her that she had done nothing wrong she still felt that it was all her fault. Jaimie couldn't reason with her and needed help, phoning Dr. Alison Eliza to help her get through to the distraught Liv. Alison knew better, she had Jaimie bring her by the office so they that it was official as Liv needed to start seeing her anyway. At Alison's office, Liv was introduced to her and saw Alison happily explain, "Yes, I'm related to your teacher. I'm her mother-in-law, she's married to my daughter Trinity. I know of you through them, they are happy that you have done well ins school until Monica decided to show that she hasn't grown up and is still the same 14-year-old that tormented your mom back at the start of high school. Your mom and grandparents don't blame you for what happened, Brooklyn is just as upset at Monica as you are." Alison sighed and explained, "I've talked with kids suffering from gender issues for decades. I was your mother's counselor before her surgery and helped your aunt Al after her accident. I'm also married to a woman like you as well as the mother to two ladies like you: my daughters Hunter and Trinity. Trinity is married to your teacher, Ronda. Ronda also has a sister who is transgender, so we know full well the issues that you are suffering from. We want you to be happy and safe, but also help you through your rough patches like what happened with Brooklyn." Liv started to open up to her, Alison wouldn't tell her unless it was going to help her and she had heard a few bits about the others so it put he at ease. The more she talked with Alison, the more she started to feel better and see that it wasn't her fault and others wouldn't like her no matter what. Alison knew that she had her hooked so told her to keep calm and not let others get to her and if need be- rely on family to help her out as there were more of them at school than there were of people who disliked her. That Friday brought the first date between Chance and Sylvia and saw Jaimie fussing over what Sylvia was going to wear. She got so fussy to the point that Sylvia kicked her out and caused Liv to help her big sister prepare, with Sylvia grinning as she put some lipgloss on Liv as thanks. Jaimie saw Liv and was ready to go ballistic, but stopped as she saw how much that act made Liv feel like a regular girl. The date went off without a hitch, especially as Jaimie heard just who was chaperoning the date: Brady and her boyfriend, the only two people trusted enough to not abuse their positions over the couple. The couple were notorious among their age group for being protective of family and friends, especially as Brady's rough start as a girl hit the family hard making everyone keep a close eye on her and a closer eye on anyone who tried to get close to her. Sylvia was one of the few that Brady trusted completely as she was one of the few who knew Chance best: he fell in love with her at 11 and she showed why. Brady and her boyfriend had to fight laughter as Chance was afraid of his own shadow for much of the movie, and nearly jumped out of his seat when Sylvia put his arm over he r shoulders. She caused him to nearly faint when she moved his hand to her breast, with her cuddling into his shoulder as her hand did the movement for him. She loved the feeling of him on her breast, so much so that Brady was sure that she was close to an orgasm from her movements in her seat. After the movie, the ladies went to the bathroom to talk and saw Brady confronting Sylvia about what she was doing. Sylvia looked away in shame, to which Brady told her, "He's not ready yet. Trust me, he is slow on the uptake but likes you a lot. Give him time, he's crazy about you. You gave him a gift that he'll never forget. He's already ahead of most guys in our cluster, especially those without sisters! Poor Johnny hasn't had the chance to feel-up a girl yet, but that's mostly because he doesn't trust any of us. I know that he's got the hots for a few girls, but none of them are worth it." At home, Jaimie inquired about Sylvia's date while Liv and Eli tried hard to not listen in but wanted to know as well. When she started to talk about kissing him Eli fled in embarrassment while Liv gave her a giggle but stayed put. Jaimie sensed there was more and pressed on, causing Sylvia to tell Liv to go. When Liv was out of earshot, she confessed to what she had done. Jaimie nodded then explained, "I did the same thing to your father once. Your grandpa wasn't happy that I did that but understood. It's part of growing up- you learn boundaries with people. He likes you a lot and you pushed his boundaries a bit far but he respected why you did it. He likes you enough to not take advantage- that's the real lesson." She silently nodded then asked what she meant. Jaimie blushed while Olivia explained, "She flashed her body to him. She was completely naked and showed him everything. He ran off in shame to her aunt's house, with her aunt helping her see that it was a bad idea but showed that he loved he and what she did wasn't necessary. Before you ask- your great-aunt and I were caring for your great-grandmother at the time so he stayed with your other grandparents. It was the only time she broke the rules with him." Liv was close by and listened to them, Jaimie told her to stop hiding and come back- it was girl talk so she needed to learn the same boundaries as her sister. Liv smiled at that, Jaimie hit another milestone in Liv's transition that she hadn't realized: treating her like an older girl. Even if she was just about nine-years-old, she still wanted to be treated like a big girl and not a little one. The ladies talked for hours while Eli watched TV with Richard. He wisely told the boy, "As much as you want to be by her side, some things you'll never be able to understand. She's a girl, some things only a girl can understand and offer advice about. Your mom and grandmother are doing that with your sister and Liv is trying hard to be like your sister. It's tough on a boy to see that, especially one as close to his sister as you are. I've seen it with the other siblings, especially your uncle and mom. Believe me, we had a hard enough time when your uncle and father went at each other because your mom showed your dad what she looked like naked. Michael blamed Rick and felt bad about Jaimie growing up, just as you will feel when your sister starts to get older. Don't feel left out, you have your cousins to help you." Eli could only tell him, "I know she's a girl and girls do different things. I just want her happy. Mom and Sylvia make her happy. I'm mad that Brooklyn can't be her friend anymore though. She likes Brooklyn a lot, she's almost like the other girls we knew before moving, but she knows the truth." The little boy in him was showing, Richard hugged him and kissed his forehead then told him, "She'll be friends with her if there's a spark. Brooklyn's mother isn't going to last long as her mother- not if Jenna has anything to say about it. It'll take time, but she'll be friends with Liv." The next day saw the Samuels family visiting the Finns at their house. Eli and Liv were finally going to meet the commanding Valerie and John then Jaimie's brother Michael, sister-in-law Courtney, and nephew Johnny. Sylvia and Johnny went off to talk in private while Eli and Liv were left with Quinn and Ryder downstairs in the entertainment room. Valerie took one look at Liv and gave Jaimie a big smile. Jaimie countered, "She's not like me! She's just a timid girl who is finally getting to be what she always was. She had support, but lost it. I never had it. You know darn well I never had it and was never going to get it under them." Valerie countered, "Same smile. Same timid look. Same hairstyle. Same choice in clothes. Same brother who is way too overprotective. She's just like you. Your parents might not have supported you, but that doesn't mean that everything else about her doesn't scream 'Jaimie Finn' circa 6th and 7th grade." John added a happy, "You really don't see it, do you? Everyone else does. Jake. Miles. Hannah. Even Olivia and Richard see it. She's what you were when you started to be you. All of them remember the timid girl who stood up to parents and announced that she was what she was and wouldn't hide herself." Jaimie tried to say something more, but John hugged her as she cried. He softly told her, "Life has a way of repeating itself in our children. Logan is what I was like as a child, Liv is what you were like. Unlike us, they had proper support to thrive and be who the were meant to be. It's why your brother is earning his PhD, he's trying to better himself and has us helping move him forward. Just as Liv has you to help her see that she's going to do well as a girl- you've faced it all and come out on top, so can she." Valerie went downstairs to check on the kids and smiled at both being comfortable around the twins. It was tough to not say something about it, especially as Quinn liked talking with Liv and Eli and Ryder had an unspoken bond that neither wanted to acknowledge. Ryder wanted to be his friend, but the look on Eli's face showed that he wasn't ready to be friends yet- but might, in time. Upstairs, Jaimie received a phone call from more people and cringed. John shook his head while it took all of her strength to keep Valerie from laughing at the incoming storm. She finally told Jaimie, "She has to meet them at some point. She's likely to be around them more often than any of their other aunts and uncles until she moves into her own house. Besides, she's not as bad as she used to be now that she's on the verge of becoming a mother- our little girl just wants to help before everyone helps her." The doorbell rang and saw Jaimie cringing as Cat and Gavin Finn entered and hugged John and Valerie. Seeing Jaimie, Cat ran to her and gave her a deep hug. When finally had enough of the hugging, she authoritatively demanded, "Where are they?" Jaimie walked downstairs to fetch the kids then led them upstairs, with both looking afraid of why they were being sought by their mother. Seeing the two newcomers caused them to cringe in fear, with Liv all but hiding behind Jaimie while Eli stood ready to fight. Cat looked over Liv and blurted out, "Did you really have to find one who looks like you? She's just like you when you were with those assholes! She's your 'mini-me'!" Eli was ready to defend Liv but Gavin explained to him, "She's being Cat. She doesn't know when to be quiet and how to choose her words carefully. She's trying to tell Jaimie that your sister looks and acts just like she did when she was eight. If Ma said she's like Jaimie then she's just like Jaimie." Cat hugged Liv and whispered to her, "We're happy to be your aunt and uncle. Ma and Pa said that you aren't used to family, so you get to make up for it with all of us. Plus dad could use more kids who are able to trick him...just don't try to trick us- Daisy, Claire, Hannah, and I aren't fooled by anyone!" Jaimie had to explain, "You'll meet them soon. Daisy and her husband are premiering a play in Boston next week so had to do a lot of work. Claire is with Simon, he's having trouble with girls in school and she's trying to get him and Emily together- don't tell Mario that, though. As much as we love him, her dad can go overboard when it comes to boys. And Hannah is Hannah. She's busy preparing for her book tour...as well as her new baby. She's going to have a baby boy in November!" John cringed at hearing that. Cat happily told him, "That's nothing- I'm also having two in November. I got the confirmation today- I'm two months pregnant. Sorry, dad. But your baby girl is having twins!" Gavin looked down in shame while John looked ashamed. Valerie cried out in joy while Jaimie moved Eli and Liv off so they didn't have to see John breaking down. Michael and Courtney wisely kept quiet but did see him offering Cat a quiet, "Hope you broke the news to Uncle Richard and Aunt Olivia." Cat gave him a sly look while Gavin explained, "We saw them before we came here. They're both happy for us, but didn't like that Cat decided to get pregnant right away. We held off the best news until after: we signed a deal to publish Cat's young adult book series, I have a job offer from the publisher to be an editor alongside co-authoring her books. We come as a package deal, so they split the royalties 25/75 between us. They know her books will sell, so they gave her a huge 20% royalty for the series!" The kids were enthralled at hearing that, Cat took them upstairs to show them what her books looked like but lost them when they saw Hannah's, "Sammi the Cabbit" series prominently displayed. Cat was happy to tell them all about the books, with Liv so enthralled that she didn't notice that Cat was telling her that the books were based on many of the family's members so they'd likely be in the next one. Eli heard that and looked like he didn't believe it, so Cat showed one featuring Quinn and Ryder called, "A Pair of Twins For Sammi" with the girl having the same hair and necklace as Quinn. Cat offered a somber, "Mario and you two are going to be tough to incorporate. I don't know how she'll make it work but all three of you might end up being in it together as a trio of siblings with Eli and him as twins. It's the thought that counts, even if it's not the truth. He wants to be your friend, but you have to extend a hand to him. Can you do that for him?" Eli reluctantly agreed, with Cat grinning at tricking him into being friends with Mario. The boy was in a sad state all week as he didn't know what to do and was too afraid to approach anyone to be friendly with. The closest he had was Eli but even he was holding back due to Quinn and Ryder being close by. She led them downstairs then announced that she'd talk with Hannah about the book. John nodded and left it alone, while Jaimie shook her head at Cat being Cat. Cat added, "Daisy said that they're too young for the play but she'd be happy to give you two a break when Rick gets in tomorrow." Jaimie blushed while John coughed at Cat's bit of mischief and needling of Jaimie. Valerie countered, "I think they'll be fine with their sister and cousins watching them. What they do is their own business!" Cat smirked while Gavin countered, "She's trying to get under your skin. She's been acting like that ever since the test came back positive. She knows she can't be the same old Cat with a baby growing in her." The kids were led back down to the media room with Valerie telling the twins, "Your aunt is being a bit lewd. You guys are going to have cousins in November: she's having twins! Your grandfather is going crazy at his baby girl being a mommy." Quinn squeed while Ryder told her to calm down. Eli asked if they were adopted too leading to Ryder telling him, "Mom was by Grandpa Zeke and dad was by Grandpa John but both grandmas are blood to us. Aunt Cat is our aunt by blood, as is Aunt Ella and Uncle Logan. Aunts Jaimie and Sylvia and Uncle Miles were adopted by Grandma Valerie and Grandpa John." Eli was trying to figure things out when Quinn added, "Aunts Christina and Piper are adopted too. A lot of our aunts and uncles are adopted in some way. Mom was adopted after Grandma Gabby married, dad was adopted after Grandpa John married Grandma Valerie. It doesn't mean anyone is less of a kid because they are adopted, they are loved the same. Grandpa John loves Aunt Jaimie even more than he does Aunts Ella and Sylvia, but only because she was the one who got our family brought together." He asked about their aunts and uncles that weren't there. Quinn explained, "They are talking with some university people about digging up the river to look for an old shipwreck. They work a lot but they are starting to work more from school than from the field. We went with them on a trip last summer, they got us to see some stuff out in Deerfield and Andover but it's boring!" He didn't press further, there wasn't anything more to say. The kids played on but were called upstairs again by Jaimie, this time seeing a man and woman there ready to meet them. Eli was defensive but he saw that Jaimie and the woman were going back and forth verbally in an almost playful manner while the man looked unsure what to say. He kept quiet but did steal glances at the two kids as they talked. Finally stopping their bantering, the woman looked over and squeed at the kids then embraced them in a big hug. Jaimie cleared her throat and told them, "This is your uncle Thomas and his wife as well as my cousin, Rebecca. They were next door talking with my aunt and uncle about them being pregnant." Rebecca showed her baby bulge, with Jaimie adding, "She's having a baby next month. The little witch is keeps herself so fit that you can't tell unless you look closely. Don't let her workout with you or she'll make you suffer. And she will make you work hard, she doesn't want any of you kids unhealthy." Thomas asked if she was signing them up for sports, causing Jaimie to groan and shoot back, "We don't know what he likes yet and she's like me so you know that's a no-go. Maybe when she's older we'll do cheerleading, but not until then. I think martial arts is best for now, especially self-defense." Eli looked happy to hear that, with Liv looking upset. Rebecca realized the issue and explained to her, "It's not your fault, but the youth football organizations are strict when it comes to kids and who can be participants. The team in our city stinks because of it: nobody wants to join it unless they are forced to. They are stuck-up and cater to cities and towns that have no other way of getting attention but the kids all hate the league and teams. The cheerleaders are mostly fine, but the parents are pests." Rebecca took the kids next door to meet her parents, and saw Liv given a big hug and kisses by them followed by Eli getting wet kisses on his cheeks and deep hugs from the man who watched them enter. It was weird for them to meet people who knew of them and who were trying to meet them, especially as it was clear that they weren't going to escape the people trying to meet them. Rebecca had to tell the woman to go easy on them, especially as Eli looked embarrassed by all of the kissing. The two were given a closer look and saw Rebecca telling them, "I told you she's just like Jaimie. Same cuteness, same fear, same determination, same inherent intelligence, same bodyguard as her. All that's really different is what Jaimie didn't have and she's keeping those until surgery!" Rebecca told the kids, "This is my mom and dad, your mom's aunt Melanie and uncle Dan. Don't worry about dad, he's all bark and no bite. The only biter is Cat, and she only bites Gavin now." That got her a whack from Melanie while Dan glared at her. Melanie asked about school and who'd be taking care of the kids after school leading Rebecca to sigh and tell them, "Christina or Aunt Olivia will be on call. Probably Christina if things get tough for them in school- a show of force might be needed. Jaimie's old thorn is back at it again, Monica Porter started her antics against Liv here. Neither knows that they're related through their grandparents but it's only a matter of time until Monica finds out." Melanie knelt down and explained to the kids, "I'm probably going to have you a few times this summer if your grandparents aren't available. I run a preschool but also babysit the kids of our family whenever it's needed. Your mom has a lot of help, but sometimes you need structure not fun." Dan looked as he usually did which caused Eli concern. Melanie giggled and explained, "Ignore him. It happens to be his natural face. He's always grumpy but is really a softy for kids. He'll likely be around you more than your other great-uncles since it's hard not to be thanks to John and he being joined at the hip most weekends. Plus he loves doing 'guy things' with the dads so will get Eli involved in some of the fun they do. Rick hasn't done that much due to Sylvia being such a girly- girl but now that he has a son too he gets to enjoy their fun-filled antics away from us yucky girls." Dan let a smile creep through which got Eli to grin back- he was going to do things that he hadn't had a chance to do with his birth dad. It was great fun to him, he loved being a boy and always wanted to go do fishing, camping, hunting, and other stuff like kids did with their dads. They had planned on it for a year later, but his parents dying meant those plans were destroyed. Dan asked what that reaction was all about, Eli told him, "Daddy was going to take me hunting when we got back home. Mom was going to take Liv to some girly place while we hunted. He wanted to take me so I didn't get stuck doing what Liv wanted to do. We were supposed to do it next summer when I got to learn dad's guns but when dad lost his job and had to leave town to move to Oregon that ended." Melanie asked about their families. Eli looked away in shame while Liv explained, "Dad's family wasn't nice to us. They hated him because he didn't want to be like them. Great-great-grandpa Hiram made dad and mom out to be bad people and made everyone shun them. They put dad in an orphanage and told the state that he was dumped on their doorstep. The sate believed him, but dad found out the truth from the people who looked into his background for him. Dad's family is still alive, but they are spread out and none of them wanted to take us in. We told the social services people they tried, but nobody wanted to help us. Mom was actually dumped like dad was said to be dumped so we don't know who her family is but dad's family is still around. We are glad we didn't go with them- they'd hurt me." Melanie was thinking while Dan sighed and started to call someone. Valerie entered and asked to hear the story again, this time asking for more details about who they knew about and what their relations were to them. The name Hiram stuck out for all of the wrong reasons, with Valerie dreading the feeling that was coming over her but realizing that it was a blessing in disguise for the kids. She waited as Melanie shot back a happy, "She found him. It's what you think: they really are members of the McKinnon family! It says that they are Jaimie's cousin's children, she's their next of kin in all ways. Her father and their grandfather were half-brothers, with her father being 'legitimate' and their grandfather being the illegitimate child of Jaimie's grandfather. Their grandfather e any other siblings so she's their next closest relative and the one who should have been immediately contacted by social services from the start as she's known to Missouri through her own past." The kids didn't know what to say. Valerie smiled at them and happily told them, "You two not only hit the jackpot, you landed exactly where you were supposed to go: Jaimie Samuels is your dad's cousin. You are with family, your blood family. You are also related to Michael, Ella, and Logan and your new great-uncle Mick and his family. They are all McKinnons by blood, through Hiram's other brother." The kids were crying at hearing the news. Jaimie was called over and hugged both tightly, with Eli and Liv both unable to form words. It was a touching scene that only got better as Rebecca took pictures to send off to someone then announced, "He's on his way and isn't happy. He's bringing the cavalry and it's not going to be pretty. I almost pity those poor saps, but you know how much she hates them." The kids waited and a few minutes later saw an angry man enter followed by an angrier woman. They went right to the kids and gave them big hugs, followed by a teenager. The man growled, "17 years and they finally make another appearance? This family just keeps getting worse and worse." Valerie countered, "And again, they gave a blessing in disguise. Their little secret ended up coming out in the best way possible even if it took tragedy to get exposed. The kids are with her by luck, but it's not going to change that they found their way to her and gives her a piece of her family back." Valerie finally announced, "These people are Mick, Sarah, and Brent Jones. They are your new uncle and great-aunt and uncle. Mick is my brother, but he's also a McKinnon through his mother. Ella, Logan, and Michael are his niece and nephews through his brother and Jaimie through his grandfather. He's Hiram's great-nephew, and the only person Hiram feared more than me." Valerie received another phone call that made her shed tears. She sat them down then explained, "Hiram did to their father what he did to Jaimie: hid him away and ensured that nobody could contact him. It's for a dumber reason: he was illegitimate. And it's even worse as it turns out that he's actually Jaimie's grandfather, not James McKinnon as we were led to believe all those years. He told all on his deathbed, but kept that his son had another son. It takes a lot to be that callous regarding people, but Hiram was an original. It didn't change the family's dynamic to us, but to them it meant a lot of shuffling of the inheritances. The will was held up in court as there were missing heirs- the last known heir is now their father. So the kids now get both whatever they got from their parents' insurance policies, from suing the trucking company, and now whatever Hiram left their father. It's a pittance compared with what he did to their father, but it's something." Jaimie hugged the kids, with Eli asking if it meant that they wouldn't be Jaimie's son and daughter. It took all of her might to not laugh, but Mick countered, "She is your next-of-kin so gets custody of you. It would then fall to me but I refuse to allow Jaimie to be overlooked. She's your closest relative and is already entrusted with your care. You kids are her kids in all but name- but that'll change shortly." Sarah finally asked, "Have you taken them to the doctor yet? Richard can't care for them if he's going to be their grandfather so I'll take them on until Trinity decides which field she's going into. I doubt she'd be going into general medicine, so she's unable to treat them." Sarah told them to go to her office so she could do the medical exams then explained that it was only a temporary treatment as she'd transfer care to another doctor as soon as Jaimie and Rick found one. She had to explain to them, "I can't treat you like I do other patients due to your being related to me through Jaimie. It's the same reason your grandfather can't treat you, but I'm far enough away from you to do it until a permanent doctor is found. I know of a couple who'd be fine with the two of you, especially Liv. She's a good doctor, but needs time to get accustomed to the region." The exams were normal and the kids were given updated booster shots then sent on their way. They had Brent with them throughout the entire ordeal, with Brent not saying a word causing Liv to grow upset at possibly angering him in some way. Outside, he finally told them, "Grunkle Hiram was a total asshole who screwed over a lot of people including his own brother. He hated everyone and anyone whom he couldn't use to his advantage. Don't get upset at what happened to your parents, it's all in the past. We're the best people to come out of the family, especially you two. I'm the worst of the worst: small, gay, and can't land a boyfriend. If my buddy Marcus wasn't so damn big I'd have been beaten to a pulp years ago. I love him for it, but the big lug needs to rein-in his temper. And no, we're not together. Only I'm gay, he's just my best friend and loves me like a brother and treats me like one too." Eli looked up at him and asked if it was true that he's gay. Brent nodded, telling him, "I knew from an early age that I liked boys. I've done a lot with them, especially Marcus. He experimented with what he was inside, he's at best 'open' and not bisexual or gay. You'll find out what you are in a couple of years, don't try to figure out things as kids change who they are on the outside easily so those who seem to be gay are actually just nice boys who are 'girly' and girls who are 'masculine'. You are normal, don't think that you aren't because you did a lot of things to make your sister happy. Lord knows, I did it a lot with my friends and neighbors. Jasmine Flynn alone made me dance in her dresses and play dolls whenever we were together. Same with Hunter and Bailey Eliza, they'd always get me to play with their dolls." Eli perked up at hearing that, with the wise Brent showing that he was channeling his father there. The smiling Sarah had to hide her tears as her little boy was showing that he was a young man and mature beyond his years. Jaimie had a smile as well, Eli found someone to look up to in the family. Jaimie ended their talk and drove back home, with Sylvia scared for her mother after hearing that she had gone off to the doctor with the kids. Jaimie just grinned and explained, "Just a routine checkup for them followed by your uncle Brent giving Eli a pep talk. Most of the time I was doing an interview for my new job. By the way, I start Monday." Sylvia let out a sigh of relief and left it alone. Jaimie asked where she went, with Sylvia blushing and explaining, "I went with Emily on a date with Chance and Simon. Aunt Jenna thought that it was time to stop fooling around and get them together since they liked each other too much. We didn't do anything, I kept my hands to myself even though I wanted to do more. Emily put his hand in her pants and got him to tell her not to do that again, Aunt Jenna is upset at her and won't let us go out again." Jaimie hugged her and kissed her forehead, then explained, "He simply wasn't ready for more form her. He know about her crush on him and wanted her to get to know him before they did anything physical. He doesn't want to make her father upset nor does he want to upset your uncle Will. Will is tough on him, he doesn't want either him or Lilly to make the same mistakes Aunt Lilly made. Jenna is afraid of people trying to go after the family again, especially with Simon being part of the main branch and a Peterson. Lilly is a lot like her mother and sees Emily as what she wants to be so Simon doesn't want her to grow up too fast and if it means slowing down and possibly losing Emily then he'll do it for her." Across town, Mario saw the sobbing Emily and asked what was wrong. She hugged him tight and gave him a kiss on his forehead, needing his closeness to calm her sadness and shame over what she did with Simon at the movie theater. She mumbled a sad, "I did something bad with Simon. I put his hand in my pants and let him feel my privates. I got him in trouble, I didn't want him to get in trouble!" Mario hugged her as she cried, with the boy kissing her cheek to make her feel better. His act of caring gave her strength to get up and go to bed, with him jumping into bed with her to give her hugs as she fell asleep. He did the same, hugging her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder until finally succumbing to a much-needed slumber. Jenna went looking for Mario and found Emily cuddled into him as she slept, with Mario hugging her to keep her from moving. It was a touching scene, with Mario telling her, "Please don't be mad at him. She didn't mean it. She loves him, she did something dumb but she loves him." Jenna countered, "I know. I had to set the rules because all of the kids have to follow them. She did the wrong thing for the right reasons, but still has to be punished. He did the right thing in not letting her do it it further, he could have used her for more but held back. I'm proud of him for that, as is his mom and dad. Your dad is upset, but it's because his baby girl is becoming a woman sexually." She managed to get him untangled from Emily, replacing him with her favorite teddy bear- one Mario happened to be the size of. She smiled at the sight, it was still evident that her little girl was still there and trying hard to not be a little girl anymore. Mario hugged her to keep her from saying anything, he knew that she needed one and his smile showed that he was happy to help his big sister that night. Downstairs, George was fuming with Jenna having to tell him, "Let it go. She understands consequences have to happen but she did it to show just how devoted she was to him. You can't keep her as our little girl forever, she's a young woman now and has finally won the heart of the perfect boy for her." George grunted and left it alone, with Mario giving him a look that showed he wanted him to be good to Emily even if George didn't want her to grow up. His look broke him, with George sighing deeply as he looked away in shame and told Mario, "It's different with daughters than with sons. With a son, you only have to worry about one thing between their legs. With daughters, you have to deal with hundreds. I don't want her to grow up or get pregnant, but I don't want her to hate me for protecting her. Simon is a good boy, but he's still a boy. Boys only want one thing: to make babies." Mario shook his head, causing George to happily tell him, "You'll change your mind when you get older. You might not think that way now, but in three years every girl will make you start to feel funny. If you are lucky, you'll find a nice girl like Quinn or Liv- girls who understand you and are great with you." He hugged George and went off to bed, with George happy to have talked with his son about boys and girls even if he didn't mean to make it sexual. He was glad that Mario understood enough to not ask the tough questions yet. It was already tough enough keeping him from getting lewd with the girls, Mario was even younger and a lot more innocent so might take the jokes or remarks the wrong way or say the wrong thing to people. He smiled at the idea of Quinn and Mario together, the Finn and Daniels family joined as one through a twist of luck. Mario was a great boy who matched perfectly with Quinn's personality, like how Miles and Christina were matched perfectly. It was a long shot, but he loved that about his family. The family's rumor mill told him about Jaimie and the duo's connection leading George to smile at it being ironic and fate having her hand in righting wrongs of the past. She was the mother that the kids needed, someone who knew the same heartache and longing to be what they truly were inside. Even if she wasn't meant to be a girl for another four years after her parents were killed, she was still a girl long before their deaths- just as Liv was a girl long before her parents were killed. Thinking about the kids had him thinking about their parents and what happened to their assets. It was a long shot, but the kids had to have had some sort of inheritance coming their way. Maybe it was just a settlement from the trucking company or the RV company, but they were owed money. He started to dig around online on behalf of the kids then sent an email off to Rachel Sylvester to have her look into places that he couldn't look. It was a two-pronged attack of the internet, one that he felt had to be done to help them out. Rachel sent back an email that told him, "Jaimie and Aunt Valerie did the same request. They are owed A LOT of money from the family estate. Both kids are scions of the main branch, all three are direct heirs of Hiram McKinnon. Not a joke: Her dad was his son, same with their dad. He couldn't keep it in his pants and left no will, all McKinnon branches are fighting over it. It was held-up due to heirs being missing but known but nobody would contact. Jones and Finn families all owed from the will- Jaimie and the kids more than them!" That was an interesting turn of events and would see them compensated what they were owed. He gave Rachel a happy response with Rachel adding, "Family will fight them but defrauding heirs makes them look worse in court. All heirs were known, they have to explain why they weren't contacted at all." Jenna joined him in bed when he finally put his laptop away, with Jenna telling him firmly, "Let her do it from here on out. This is her job, your job is to look after companies. You are a dad again, he needs his dad to be out of jail not locked away. Aunt Valerie can handle it from here on out." He sighed then asked, "What do you think about Quinn and Mario getting together in a few years?" She smiled at the thought and added, "Michael will freak out but Courtney would love it. He daughter and our son? It's like we always pictured: our kids marrying. Johnny has his eye on Deborah Bailey so he's all set with ladies, and there's little doubt that Ryder will fall for one of the girls in his class. Mario has a big chance with her, they are so alike yet so different- like Miles and Christina." She drifted off to sleep after he told her, "My thoughts exactly", the idea of their families joining at the hip yet again through the next generation as the previous one had done. It was poetic, especially as the two families were so intertwined in their adventures that the Finn and Daniels families might as well be extensions of one another. Even if only JD and Cat were "truly Finns" the other six were still Finns. Rick arrived early the next morning with all of the clothes and valuables from the Samuels home. He also had company with him as Ella and Flora were with him and were there for one reason: to get Ella pregnant. He didn't make light of their reason for coming east, he'd endure enough cringing in a bit as his sister drove him in. He was right as Al Douglas met him at the airport to drive him in. She crushed him in her hug, crying at knowing that her beloved older brother was back home for good. She couldn't help but feel great at him being there, he always made her feel like the best person in the world even if she didn't need his help to be a great person anymore. Her husband Kyle was with her and served as their pack mule. He didn't complain, he knew that Al and Rick were going to be inseparable until he got home then she'd move on to being the doting aunt to the kids. Kyle was simply there to move things for them, he knew that it was meant to be a family event so he'd bow out as soon as possible so he didn't get stuck in the middle of whatever they were planning. Flora was little better as her family met her. Her sister and sister-in- law smirked as Flora blushed at the two knowing what was going on. There was no escaping them, she had to face the family again. Ella hugged Fiona and Mia Nelson then asked about the little bundle of joy in their arms. The little boy looked up at them and smiled, begging to go to the new person. Fiona offered a complaining, "He knows that you are his aunt and wants to put on a show for you- he's just like Flora!" Flora led them on with Rick and Al smiling at the sight. Rick casually told Al, "You know she's going to make you two start looking at being parents. It's high time you became parents, two are 30- it's time to stop acting like it's not for you. There's plenty of kids in need of a home, especially ones you two can understand. Transgender, abandoned by family, nobody who understands them. You two would be the perfect parents for Mario if he wasn't already placed with Jenna and George." At the Samuels home, Al ran straight for Jaimie then grabbed Liv into a big hug. Eli tried to back away but got grabbed into a bigger hug then kissed on the cheek leaving a big lipstick mark. She grinned at that, it was her little bit of playful fun and something he'd learn: never back away from Al's hugs. Rick was told what the kids told them the previous night to which he told them, "Rachel did digging and came up with more: you are Hiram's granddaughter. Your father was the 'bastard' son of him and not the legitimate of James McKinnon. They hid your father's true parentage for political reasons, just as they did for Eli and Liv's father. He was your brother, not cousin. Your father had a child out of wedlock just before the crash, a lot of why he struggled was paying off people to keep quiet. When he died, the baby boy was put in an orphanage but the parents were known and hidden. Hiram wasn't able to destroy the records, he couldn't extend his reach to Kansas City but did get people off of the scent by using your situation to his advantage. You are their next of kin- you are their aunt! They are a piece of you that lives on, the two children that you were unable to conceive but who are closest to you biologically." Al hid her tears while Kyle hid his shame, it was a major reason why Rick was so upset at them for the couple not trying to become parents before. The kids were blessings, the couple should have done the same for kids in need but held off of doing so for the same reasons Kyle's own father didn't adopt: they didn't want the kid to feel bad about dad dying in a fire. The couple had plenty of money between them so it was purely about their own demons coming forward. Jaimie asked what was going on, Al shed a tear and told her, "He told us to stop putting it off and start trying to look towards adopting children since we are old enough now to do so. We can't hold off any long, he hit us with Mario and now knowing that the kids found their aunt it's making us see that we can't hold off any long. I'm not my birth mother or my birth father, I'm not going to neglect our kids or sleep with anyone who'll pay me. Kyle isn't afraid of dying in a fire anymore, nor is he afraid of any exposure to toxic substances. We can't stop ourselves anymore, we have to be parents to kids in need. We have to help them, we can't deny it any longer." Rick hugged the crying Al, then saw Liv hug her to let her know that she was sorry for causing all of her emotions. Al looked over Liv and smiled at the sight, she looked like a younger version of Jaimie. It took all of her strength to not admit that, especially as Liv might take offense to it. Jaimie sensed what she was feeling and explained, "We both take after my father, even if her father had no idea that he had a sister. I'm happy that she doesn't have to explain how she doesn't look like me, it's for the best for all of us. Eli looks like me too, less so than Liv but enough to pass as my son." Both smiled at hearing that, with Liv kissing her cheek and calling her, "Mommy" causing her to shed a tear. She might not have ever been able to, "Father" children, but the two were her children now and had a strong connection to her by blood. They were her offspring, even if they weren't genetically her kids. Al sat them down and asked about the inevitable fight as there was always a fight against them for kids if there was money to be made. Rick scowled and shot back, "Uncle Mark is looking into the family on behalf of DCF and will alert California that their people ignored seven known family members. Even if we weren't known at the time, the McKinnon family was known. That kind of information was too hard to be ignored and should have been looked into but somehow didn't." The family waited for Mark's call, with Mark finally telling them, "California was told about their being McKinnons and none of the Missouri branch wanted to house them. There was no mention of any of the Boston branches, so your Missouri family kept all of you away on purpose. The same goes for your background check: your family history is there, they had to have intentionally ignored it when Heath Downey tried to have the kids transferred to him. Something is way off, as per the norm." Jaimie grinned and happily told him, "Family secrets that they have tried hard to keep covered-up for the past six decades. Dad was actually Great-Uncle Hiram's son, and dad had another son when I was in the midst of my starting to act like a girl. They are trying to keep us away from his fortune: he's worth a billion dollars! All of that time in Congress he amassed a large amount of stocks and investments in the various businesses he helped lobby for. We are owed all of it through dad." Mark grinned at the news and sent off an email to his counterpart in LA to alert them of more breaches of protocol and the intentional refusal to place a child with their next-of-kin. He was happy to tell them that Jaimie was their aunt by blood but was also officially their cousin through their grandparents. She also had multiple relatives who were McKinnons close by who were known to the Missouri family so it was a case of intentionally ignoring family relations beyond just having the kids kept away from them. He received a terse response which led him to happily tell them, "We will fight any attempts to remove the children as your department was told that they were moving to Massachusetts. You received all of the proper paperwork two weeks ago making the transfer official. They are no longer in your care as of that day and as such you have no right to make any claim to them as their next-of-kin, all eight of them, are in agreement and as their paternal aunt there is no reason to move them anywhere else." He knew they'd question the number so he shot back, "Eight family members. Three of her siblings by adoption are descended from the supposed great-uncle, three first-cousins through the same. Her uncle by adoption is also descended from her great-uncle. Therefor, the children are with blood family. Any attempt to remove the children by your agency will be met with counter-claims of violating their rights as you have no claim to the children as they are no longer in your care nor in your state." He happily signed, "Mark Sylvester, Acting Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Children and Families" showing that it was coming right from the top and not some random social worker. He had a strong hatred for people like that, but he had to use his full title to get what he needed from them. The kids were staying in Massachusetts and in a month would be Jaimie's children. Rick moved the cloths and valuables into the house with Kyle helping. Al helped Jaimie with Sylvia's things, causing Al to laugh as she saw some of Sylvia's skimpy lingerie while Jaimie fumed at Sylvia and then at Ella for getting them for her. Al happily told her, "She's not your little girl anymore." Eli helped as much as he could but lost interest when his game system was installed for him. He went right to it and refused to leave his room, causing Al to joke that he was taking after her while Kyle gave a groan at the joke. Eli was happy to hear that, it meant that she was a gamer too and understood him. Liv looked over the room and asked why there was a doll sitting on her bed. Al laughed at the little doll being there, with Jaimie telling Liv, "It was a joke from your sister. She left Becky in our old house for a little girl to find and saw her find the perfect girl. Now that she is too old for dolls she asked that Becky to to a girl who'd appreciate her. Sylvia brought her home, she wants you to have Becky as your own." She hugged the doll and cried into it, with Jaimie taking a picture and sending it to two people. Within seconds she had the responses she had hoped for, Sylvia smiled with a girl her own age and read what the two said, "She found a new mommy" causing Liv to cry again. It was sweet, it was almost a family tradition now to pass on Becky to a deserving little girl and one that they'd love to carry on for years. Eli was all but holed-up in his room until dinner, then reluctantly ate. Richard and Olivia both gave the parents a head shake, he was starting to act like his aunt whenever she was nervous about something. It was followed by Eli not eating much and heading right back to his room to play, with Jaimie sighing at her son's behavior but telling the duo, "I'll see what's going on with him." Rick stopped her and did the honors instead. Eli saw him enter and blurted out, "I don't want to go with anyone else. I hate having to always leave. I want to stay here with you and mom." Rick countered, "You aren't leaving. Uncle Mark stopped it before it started, and Jaimie has her family and friends looking into it. We don't sit around while someone threatens our family, we fight back and do it with overwhelming firepower. They have to get through Uncle Mark, Aunt Anne, Jenna, Jenna's best friend Jessica, Ma, Uncle Ricardo, Melinda, Reed, Miles, Pa, and us first. They will mess with a family who has fought and won more times than we can count against people who try to hurt us. You two are our children now, we won't let anyone get you. You are with your aunt, that is too much of a hard truth to ignore and anyone who ignores it will have to explain why they ignore the rules!" Eli was in tears but nodded in agreement. Rick hugged him tightly, letting the boy hug him back so he could cry himself out. When he was finally finished, Rick calmly told him, "We are going to limit what you are doing with the game system. There's a limit to too much. I know it's fun, but you also have to do other things too. Your mom will insist that you read and work on the computer too, plus you still have to do homework. I know you want to be like the older kids, but you are still a little boy inside." Rick took him downstairs to watch the baseball game with his father and Kyle. The ladies went up to the attic and helped Sylvia arrange her room then helped Liv decide to move her things up there to be with her sister and have a, "Girl's only" room away from the guys. Liv looked at Jaimie with bright eyes, Sylvia smiled but knew that it was also due to what would happen in the future: a baby was coming. Sylvia asked when the room would be renovated, causing Jaimie to smile and tell her, "During school. It will take a few weeks to get fully done, which is why you can go with your grandparents until then. I'm not telling you to go, but it's going to be tough as you're due for a 'visitor' next week and I'd rather you not have an issue with Liv especially as you tend to have heavy flows." She blushed as Liv gasped in horror. Jaimie casually added, "It's one of the few things that you should be glad you never have to experience. Believe me: they are horrible! Christina gets them hard, her own body betrays her and her emotions go on a roller-coaster. It's the only blessing in being born wrong." Mario was up early that day and went out with George to visit George's grandparents for a while so that Jenna could deal with the Jaimie situation as well as keep Emily from getting too upset at what she had done at the movies. Mario smiled at meeting the elderly Millers again and put on a cute act for them just in case they took issue with him not being like is father. Neither had a problem with him, in fact they were happy that he was taking after George after only a short period of time with him. Mario followed George around so much that Kevin Miller had to fight a smile: it was clear that the boy idolized George, a lot like how George's brother Mason followed their father around whenever they had seen the boy at home. Mario was in good company, it was clear that father and son were meant to be as a family and would enjoy being one in full in a month. There was no reason to deny Jenna and George the right to be Mario's parents, both were already his parents in all ways except on paper. The two visited each of the Millers to introduce Mario to his new relatives, with Mario blushing as he met the beautiful Trinity Eliza followed her wife- the busty and beautiful Ronda. George had to tell the grinning Ronda, "He's seeing two things that are the biggest he's ever encountered, would you not lean so far forward that they almost plop on his head?" Ronda smirked and backed away, while Trinity happily told Mario, "She's just happy to know that she's going to be your teacher next year. It's all set, she's got Ryder and Quinn joining you at her request. I'm sure it's to give you some close family so you aren't all alone, although having Eli by your side should be good enough. Eli seems like he's in the market for a friend, hopefully you two can hit it off." George nodded and got the gist: get the two together as Eli needed other people around him. It was all a setup by the parents, but even George had to admit that the boys shared a lot in common beyond being all but abandoned by people. Eli needed a counter to his loneliness and Mario needed someone to give him a chance to break out from his shell even if the two weren't going to fully get close yet. Ronda asked what all the hubbub was about regarding Eli and Liv, George sighed and told her, "Jaimie is their next-of-kin but folks in California refused to contact her to take the kids. It's a setup, someone is trying to keep them from her from them. It's all about money, they inherited a pretty penny from their great-grandfather. The man is claimed to have died childless but he had one child: Jaimie's father. She and the kids inherited a lot of money that is now going to cause a war among the McKinnons that'll be spilling over to include the Finn, Jones, and Samuels families because of it." He was prophetic as there were immediate claims against Jaimie having custody of the children coming in that evening. They all originated in Missouri, with California being the intermediary. Mark took all of the claims seriously and countered all of them, demanding that they appear in court in Massachusetts to state why they all of a sudden decided to claim the children after refusing to do so months before. He knew that they'd fight him on it, but he got a hearing in Boston regarding their custody set for that Wednesday- plenty of time for the McKinnons to appear in person and fight for custody. It was on them to prove that it was best that the children go with them instead of their next-of-kin, but even then they had little to no idea that Jaimie wasn't alone: she had firepower in the Jones, Finn, and Finn-Nelsons branches. It was the McKinnons against multiple family members who had just as much claim as them but lacked a history of abuse, neglect, investigations, and arrests that members of the McKinnons had. Mick Jones knew his family well, he had an ear out in Kansas City and found out all about the family's dirty secrets: child abuse complaints, drug arrests, DUIs, and several serving time in prison for fraud. it was laughable that they'd try to obtain the kids, especially against Jaimie. None could top her, none. Jaimie was a doctor, highly respected in her field, and had a solid job. Rick had a job as a lawyer and a large nest egg for the kids. Both had money to support them for life and never have to work again. Not one of the McKinnons could claim that, except for the Boston branch of the family. All members of the family had a brisk amount earned from profits from the family's movie production company, with the Finn branch having more thanks to contributing more to the movies made about their lives. Logan and Ella alone had the most money, with Michael having his own meager salary from his stock trading job donated to charity thanks to his own wealth from investing in the movies. Mick's family had the least but that was misleading as John Finn insisted on them investing in his own movies as Mick's brother was one of featured people in John's biographical movies so they benefited from the movie's immense profit. Mick tried to give the money to his three children, but only the young Brent accepting a share of it and only due to not having any money himself and even then he invested it back into the movies so he'd see his money grow over time to a small fortune. Brent knew a good thing when he saw it and followed in his aunt Greta's footsteps in investments, but choosing to go to college to ensure that he had himself covered and knew what he was doing with his money beyond investing. None of the combined family had a need for any of the late Hiram McKinnon's money, they only had an interest in the children and if need be all of them would fight their distant relatives over the kids. It was what Mark knew best, it was the family at work to help one of their own- only this time, it was one of their own. Blood was thicker than water, but family was what you made of it in their eyes. Mark saw the judge who'd be hearing the case and laughed long and hard over the McKinnons losing even before they started. Judge Roy Parker wasn't one for falsehoods and abuse of the system, he'd be extremely interested in why the family all of a sudden wanted to claim the kids after they were left to the care of California for months. Their excuses wouldn't stand up to him, he wouldn't let anyone get away with lying nor did he appreciate blatant money-grabs by families at the expense of children. Mark had Rick and Jaimie conduct a DNA test on the kids as well as Mick. That was followed by ones on Michael, Logan, Johnny, Brent, and Jaimie. They all carried the male McKinnon DNA, but all but Jaimie, Eli, and Liv came directly from father to son. They'd have the results, especially as Mick would force the McKinnons to undergo the same testing to show that they weren't directly related to Hiram while Jaimie and the kids were. Hiram's DNA was on file with the DNA testing company, something that the family had done in the past to show that there weren't other heirs but would see the testing backfiring as their hubris bit them in the rear. There was no way out of the testing, they had to submit to it to cement their claims of there being no direct inheritors but in doing so they would end up without a claim themselves as Jaimie and the kids would inherit all. The test came back positive, with the staff laughing at it being an easy test. Jaimie actually was the grandson biologically of Hiram McKinnon and the kids were her genetic nephews. It was clear to all that she was their aunt, especially as pictures confirmed her strong resemblance to Hiram. Jaimie and Rick had the kids join their cousins after school for play dates. Ryder took Eli while Quinn took the scared Liv. Mario joined Ryder as he refused to let Mario get out of joining the fun, especially as he had been reluctant to do much of anything else after school. Tuesday saw them joining Miles Jr. and his parents as they went for a trip to the park and walk around the city. Mario started to get close to Miles Jr. and even enjoyed Miles telling him that they were all in the family together even if people didn't like any of them because of their parents. He was happy to be Mario's cousin, especially as Mario was happy to do whatever Miles wanted- even more so than Eli. Eli grew jealous but didn't make mention of it. It was bound to happen, he just didn't share a lot of the same things in common with Miles as Mario did. Eli was still friendly with both and would join them at a moment's notice, but Eli just wasn't that into being friends with anyone even if they were his cousins. Liv had the same problems. Brooklyn invited her over her house and saw her father happy to meet the girl who had won Brooklyn's heart. He was happy to see that she was a great girl who stood up for the kids who were different and was herself, no matter the cost to herself. Brooklyn and Liv did homework and watched a movie while Brooklyn's father worked. When it was time for dinner Liv was shocked to meet Brooklyn's mother Monica and even more shocked that the woman had the gall to strike her husband in front of them then try to go after Liv. She fled in fear, with Brooklyn telling her, "Grandpa will make her pay. I don't know what he'll do but I trust him. I think we won't be allowed to be friends anymore, I'm sorry about that. I like you but mom is too scary- she'd hurt you if we continue to be friends. I'll try to keep people from being mean to you, hopefully your cousins will be able to be friends with you even if they aren't the same age as us." The next day saw Brooklyn in tears as she told Liv, "Mom transferred me to Mrs. King's school. She's pissed at us but Mrs. King won't let her hurt you. She fears Mrs. King and will stay away from school but only if we are never allowed to be together. I hate it, but mom would hurt you to get at me. This is goodbye, but I swear when mom gets what she deserves we'll be friends again!" Liv shed tears and hugged Quinn. Quinn offered a somber, "I know the feeling. It sucks but she's still in school and still close by and her mom will get it soon. She can't help herself, she'll get put in her place." Quinn took her home and kept her from thinking about Brooklyn. The two shared a special bond, and it was starting to become clear that Quinn was her mother's daughter just as Liv was Jaimie's daughter. It was making Courtney smile, the kids reflected their parents on so many levels. The kids were kept away from the court business while Jaimie and Rick dealt with unsavory and scary threats against them. Neither were going to back down from keeping the kids, especially not when they had every reason to keep them going in their favor. The two branches of the family joined together in a joint effort to show that Jaimie wasn't alone and they were going to fight for her rights as a parent. The session saw Mark laughing as there was little substance to the claims and what they did claim was backed by Heath Downey, Woody Demille, and the now-former California social workers. They didn't figure on Jaimie having full support behind her, let alone having people who were happy to make them pay for violating their rights. Mark grinned as he saw Jenna having to hold off, especially as she had to give way the the level-headed and calmer Jessica Vincent: the one person you could never upset. Judge Roy Parker read all of the supporting documentation then asked where the children were. He did a simply nod when Ricardo Vincent, Jaimie's lawyer, announced, "Both are in school. With all due respect to you, we felt that there was no reason for them to miss school for something so frivolous." Roy agreed in full, especially as he read the DNA test results as well as the counter-claims by Rick and Jaimie. The two were their parents in full. Roy asked firmly, "Am I reading these reports right?" Ricardo shot back, "They are the most accurate tests available. The children are the great-grandchildren of Hiram McKinnon. Jaimie is the granddaughter of him and biological aunt of the children." Roy smiled then announced, "Just what I wanted to hear. Based on all of the available reports, I am of a strong belief that this is nothing but an attempt to defraud these children out of their inheritance. As the rightful heirs of Hiram McKinnon, they have inherited half of his $1 billion fortune. Jaimie Samuels, as the granddaughter and heir of Hiram's son, you have inherited the other half. I'm sure that there will be a lot of legal wrangling out in Missouri over this, but as his offspring you are owed the entire amount." Turning to the McKinnons, he angrily announced, "I am denying your your motion for custody. You all gave up that chance to get custody months ago. The fact that you refused custody and have only just now tried to get it shows that you don't have their best interest in mind- you only want what they have." He turned to their "support" then announced, "You folks are laughable. California has no say in this as it has transferred the children's care to Massachusetts and as such, your views are moot. I know full well an end-run when I see it, and that's what you are trying to do. Your claims are denied, the children are in the care of DCF and as such DCF has the final say." Jessica stepped forward and announced, "Based on review of their case, their interactions with children their own age, speaking with their teachers and principals, and observing them from afar it is my own view that the children are perfectly fine with Jaimie and Rick Samuels. DCF therefor approves their application for adoption as we have no reason to not support it. We do, however, have an issue with the attempts by our colleagues from another state attempting to abuse our state courts for their own means. We hereby send notice to Missouri and California requests to review the case and investigate why there were no attempts to contact either Jaimie or her siblings or Michael Jones and his children to house the children when all were known to both California and Missouri through routine background checks." Roy smirked and agreed, then went one further and stated, "I'm approving the application for adoption. I am well-aware of Mrs. Samuels' family and the support network that they have. The two are the best of the best in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the children and as such, they are hereby their new parents. I am also agreeing to the name changes for both: Levi and Eli Young are hereby renamed as Olivia Alecia and Eli Thomas Samuels. I don't have to know why the name change is needed, but based on your chosen profession I am of the belief that you have had her seen to by a psychiatrist." Jaimie countered, "I did the initial diagnosis and moved care off to my colleague Dr. Ana Gomez when I took custody of the children. A third confirmation was done by Dr. Alison Eliza, who is Olivia's current counselor. We have seen no evidence that the initial diagnosis was wrong despite my connection." He wrote out the orders then grinned as the McKinnons were escorted out of a Missouri courtroom and forced to meet with the very upset Mick who handed them all restraining orders to prevent harassment of Jaimie and the kids. It was followed by Valerie sending word to the executor of Hiram's estate that Hiram's heirs had been found and were seeking to claim their inheritance. She flew out west to discuss the matter in person, taking with her Mick who happily forced the executor to explain why Jaimie nor his branch of the McKinnon family were never contacted regarding the inheritance. There was a tense standoff, to which Valerie happily explained to the man, "We will be asking for you to be removed as executor as you have attempted to defraud rightful heirs out of their inheritance. It's hard to deny that you did that: Jaimie is well-known in these parts as the McKinnon who got away. Mick's branch are also well-known and should have been informed alongside his cousins and 2nd-cousins. To have not done so means that you intended to assist the other McKinnon family members lay claim to what wasn't theirs legally. The family knew full well that Jaimie's father was Hiram's son, therefore you had to have gone out of your way to not get in contact with them." She went right to the courthouse and filed the paperwork, showing the multiple claims by social service employees as well as the DNA results. She didn't fool around, she had everything she could ever need and had enough evidence to show collusion among the family members and social services to defraud both Jaimie and the kids of their rightful inheritance. She had the emails between the two groups and the executor, the man couldn't deny it because he was the one who told them exactly how to keep them from finding out and how to get them away from the kids at all costs. The irony of it all was that Jaimie would never have known about the inheritance and the man had done a huge error in ignoring that if he allowed the other branches to inherit then he had to also give it to the Jones branch which would have alerted Jaimie. So all of their hard work would have been undone no matter what- especially if Mick was on to their tricks and forced things in the courts. Jaimie ended up as their caretaker was a stroke of luck, but would likely have been done anyway thanks to Mick's help. Valerie showed everything that she had to the probate judge and got the man removed as executor and Valerie herself appointed as the new executor. She grinned as she looked over previous copies of Hiram McKinnon's will and saw that he had left everything to his nieces and nephews but changed his mind as he slowly worsened. The family tried to fight to reinstate the old copies of the will but Hiram's lawyers had him covered- his body was failing, but his mind as still solid. In the end, Hiram tried to do what was right and leave everything to his son's family. That meant Jaimie and her half-brother, with Hiram telling all in the will that he had done wrong in the world and had a lot to answer for in the next life but wanted a clear conscience. It was a parting shot at his family, they had done him wrong by not trying to do better than him with the only people that had done something right being the ones who had been forced out of the family by the family itself. The total amount in the account was $1.2 billion in total, with Hiram telling where he got all of his wealth and how he had lied, cheated, and stole to make his mark in the world. He knew that it was blood money, it would go to the one person who would make the world better with it. Jaimie and the kids were rich and never had to work a day in their lives, yet Valerie knew that they'd all work hard to ensure that their families had better lives than they had had. She emptied the accounts and sold off all of the investments, stocks, and bonds then moved all of the money into trust funds that only Jaimie, Rick, and the family's investment advisers were allowed access to. It was standard for trust funds, with Valerie going through the motions to ensure that she had all of it covered just in case anyone had the bright idea to try to go after the kids. There was nothing to be made from the kids, all of their wealth was tied-up until they were 21 just like all of their cousins. Mick was glad to be out in Missouri again, with Valerie happy to enjoy seeing him act like a brother to her even if it was mostly as a guardian to keep the McKinnons from hurting her. There were only two people in all of the USA that the family feared, Mick and Sarah. Valerie may have had a way with her words, but nothing scared the McKinnons more than Mick and Sarah on a rampage protecting family. Flying east was a happy moment for him, he loved having a chance to be pampered and feel like a VIP even if he was one in the family's eyes. He didn't like to use John's plane unless he had to, but he was starting to think that maybe it was a good idea to make an exception to his rule against it now that he and Sarah were getting up there in years and weren't burdened by the kids. He'd enjoy seeing the US with an eye on going to places that John always wanted to visit, with Valerie grinning as it was what she and John had hoped to be able to do now that Brent was going off to college. Back in Boston, the kids were told the great news and saw Liv break down in tears while Eli looked at Rick for an explanation. Rick knelt down and told the boy, "It's a gift from the judge to ensure that you and your sister don't get used as pawns again. The two of you are getting a lot of money from your dad and mom's deaths, with Jaimie and the both of you inheriting from your great-grandfather Hiram. The judge is a good man, he knows what's best for kids so having both of you not have to worry about who will be your parents and if social services will take you away is more important than waiting a month." The family celebrated while the news spread through the family grapevine. Mario looked saddened that he had to wait, but George explained to him, "It's a good thing that you have to wait. You don't have to be scared that people want to take you away, you have us and we'll be your parents no matter what. It's for the best for them to not wait any longer, but for you it's a good thing: you are fine as you are. You have all of us to love you and will never be for want as we won't let you do without. We aren't as well-off as our friends, especially Jaimie and Michael and Claire, but we are still doing well for ourselves." He saw Emily looking upset and sighed, telling the teen, "You can go out with him this weekend. Don't do any funny-business, he'll refuse and it'll be the end of you as a couple. He loves you enough to not do it, that should tell you all you need to know about him as a boy. We love you, but sometimes I forget that you are still a young woman and do things without thinking. You can't stay young forever, at least Simon likes you more than you'll ever know." She started texting Simon leading to a phone call from Claire, with Claire holding back tears as George admitted, "She's all grown up now. She did what we did in high school. Don't you dare tell Christina or Paige that Jenna did that with me, but it's what her mother did. I know you probably did the same with Will, but it's hard to not see my little princess there even though she's a young woman now." Claire finally broke down and countered, "He's my little boy, but he's a man now. He's his father's son, the same that Will was when he was 15. I love him for that, I can't help but see the man I spent hours on the phone with on weekends when he was sick and when I had a bad dream. We're getting old, our little kids are now getting ready to start finding their special someone. They found each other, just like we found our special someone. I'm only upset that Johnny doesn't have the luxury of going to school with Deborah, but she's happy to be his girl even if he hasn't had the guts to ask her out yet." Mario listened to the adults talk and smiled brightly, it was weird yet fun to know that all of them had a love for one another and were happy to be close to each other. He looked on in happiness as George and Claire talked, the two longtime friends finding something in common that the others hadn't yet had to deal with. Mario's reaction caused a smile on George, the little man understood his sister and had the right idea in letting the adults talk themselves through this whole growth for their children. Over the weekend, the families joined together for celebrations as the kids went on their dates and the new couple took center stage as Simon endured his sister and cousins razzing him while he countered by asking Johnny when he was going to man-up and ask out Deborah. Johnny looked down in shame but perked-up when Deborah boldly told him, "Tonight, with you and Emily. Don't get jealous that he got the cutest girl in the state to date him while Emily got the biggest clown." The family were all smiles as the girls kissed their boyfriends and went on their dates, with both sets of couples enduring the glares of Deborah's father while Simon shrunk at seeing the massive man give him an eye that told him to behave. Emily did the same, with Deborah telling her father to back off or he'd sit alone. She grinned at that, he didn't expect her to counter his glares so easily. Across town, the Finns hosted the Samuels family and saw John offer a blunt statement: with the house in need of renovations, the family should stay with them at his house. Richard tried to refuse but Olivia saw what he was doing and happily told Richard, "It's for the kids' sake. They won't have to endure all of the noise and share rooms while you get a better night's sleep as you don't have to worry about the house or us being cramped. John has a big house and empty rooms, all of us will fit. The fact that he gets to have his grandchildren here is a bonus, it's really for all of us that he's offering us his home." Richard reluctantly agreed, with John telling them that Dan's company would handle the renovations and give the girls their own bathroom as well as porches. He loved that part, it was simply opening up a wider hole where the windows were, so the girls could have their own space and enjoy the city nights. The fact that it was an escape route as well as a way for boys to get inside was irrelevant, Simon had no intention of ever doing that and Liv wasn't likely to run off or bring boys or girls home for years. Sylvia blushed at hearing that, John grinned and shot back, "It was either here or your aunt's house. She is a lot more strict than I am. She won't let you get away with anything: no visits from Chance, not even visits from Emily. And you're likely to also babysit for Fiona and Mia so they get nights off, with their son giving you a lot of unwanted presents. He just loves giving showers to anyone who doesn't pay him enough attention, he can aim his stream perfectly for maximum impact!" Sylvia apologized, with John adding a somber, "Sylvia wouldn't mind you spending a couple of nights at her house if you want to, especially as Mitch is retired now and doesn't need to be gone for days at a time. Jae and Matthew are happy to have him back, but would love to have you over for a few nights. I know you don't like to think of them as siblings, but they love you as one and want you involved with them even if it's only one day a week." Eli asked who they were, with Jaimie smiling and telling him, "Mitch is your uncle. He's married to my sister Sylvia. No, she's not Sylvia's namesake. Sadly, another girl is. I'll tell you about her another time. Anyway, Sylvia is their half-sister but I'm her mother in all ways except biologically. Matthew and Jae are sweet kids but Jae is a little hardheaded at times. She's jealous of her cousins, especially Tracy. I'm sure she'll grow out of it, especially when the girls get her involved in more and more activities. She's a great young lady, but she's her father's daughter when it comes to people. Sylvia received a phone call from Chance causing her to blush and John to nod that it was alright to go talk with him. John smirked, Jaimie added a happy, "She's her father's daughter. They do make a great couple, thankfully Johnny and Deborah are together so he's not alone in dating. And yes, Ian isn't happy but you know how he is with his baby girl: nobody is good enough for her. At least Johnny has more to fear from you and mom than he does from Ian." John finalized plans for the Samuels family to stay, with Richard working with John to get contractors in order. John insisted that Dan Lopez do the work, and Dan knew already not to bother billing the Samuels family as John would see it as helping family- especially as it was his daughter and grandkids who benefited from the renovations. It was pennies to him, what mattered most was that the kids had their own space and that the Samuels family were able to enjoy themselves at home. The renovations would start that Monday so the family moved in the next day so everyone was able to be comfortable in their rooms and the kids got a chance to get acclimated to the large house as well as the entertainment room in the basement. Liv was scared about what John and Valerie would say about them being there, but it was unnecessary as the couple loved having them there. She was a remind of the past, with John smiling every time he caught sight of Liv especially with Jaimie. Chance and Sylvia had a date that night, with Johnny complaining that he was stuck having to go with an angry Ian but happy that Chance was joining him as well. It was great fun to him to know Chance had to endure John's "boyfriend test" which was always tough on boys. Chance was even tougher- John had known him since he was born and Chance saw him as a surrogate great-uncle even if he wasn't related to him directly, but it was still tough for him to not get scared of disappointing John. He and Sylvia kissed throughout the movie, with Sylvia putting his hands on her breasts at times as the two kissed. After the movie the two hugged while Sylvia sat in his lap, she got to feel his penis growing as she ground into his lap- the reaction made her feel better and showed that he was holding back his urges despite clearly wanting to do more. She smiled at the feeling, she whispered to him, "If we had more time, I'd take care of that for you but your moms just got here." They weren't alone as Brady was with them and her boyfriend had the same happening to him. Brady was more bold in doing it, but he wisely told her to stop while they were ahead and not to push things as her mothers weren't happy with Brady's boldness. Both girls were disappointed, but it was what they both expected from the boys and were happy to have them vocalize it instead of holding it in. They went to the Carter home and were given some privacy so they could decompress before Sylvia had to go home. Sylvia made the most of it and gave Chance his first "blow job" while Brady did the same to her boyfriend. Sylvia went one step further and let Chance "return the favor" so she had some relief and also gave both something to keep quiet about regarding their date. Brady was jealous but her boyfriend wouldn't go further due to a pledge not to do more that he made to his parents. She was "all woman" and couldn't get pregnant, but he still swore to not have sex with any girl. He liked Brady a lot and refused to give her a bad reputation no matter what he could do to her. The two broke it up when the Carters thought it was enough time. Brady was saddened that she didn't get to do what her brother had done, but he happily told her, "He's in love with you and swore to not do anything with a girl. Those girls in middle school tormented him and getting accused to making several girls pregnant then having to admit to being a virgin killed all drive for sex. He loves you enough to be 'the one' for you when you are ready. You shouldn't do what I do just because those girls are sluts. They are jealous that you look so great and they struggle to look halfway decent- and you still aren't done yet with your breasts! Give him time, don't get upset because he won't do what you want. Give him time." Sylvia was humiliated at hearing that. Chance realized his mistake and cautiously told her, "I love you and I know you better than those girls will ever know their boyfriends or one-night-stands. I have loved you since we were 11 and I saw your breasts growing. I admit that I'm a boy, you had an amazing body and your buds only made you look more beautiful. You are nothing like those sluts: you have a filter, it comes as a towering Grunkle John but it's still a filter. I'm willing to upset him in doing what we did so you have an amazing time but I won't go further. Those girls will. Brady shouldn't have to just because a few girls can't accept that she's beautiful and smart and landed one of the best looking guys in school. They are jealous and will make her look bad because she won't sleep with him. That's all they really are to any guy: just a cheap lay. He wants it to mean something, as do I." Sylvia kissed him deeply and whispered to him, "Prom night next year," which he nodded at hearing, the date was when he figured both couples would lose theirs to one another. Sylvia was led out while the twins were forced to talk to one another about their sex lives and holding back. Out on the porch, she apologized to the Carters for getting too sexual but it was countered with hugs from both ladies. Back at home, Jaimie hugged Sylvia while Rick looked away in shame. Jaimie wisely told him, "She's a young woman now. You know where he stands with her, she learned her boundaries and will abide by them. You should be glad that she's found a boy willing to do that for her, they are rare to find." Sylvia mumbled a timid, "He said he loves me," to which Jaimie shot back a happier, "We all knew that. It was clear from the time he saw you in a bikini when you were both 12 that he was falling for you. You two were always so close, it was inevitable that you'd get close to him if we ever moved east. And it was either that or you two would get together when he moved out to California or you went to school in Boston, either way you two would get together after high school." She hugged Sylvia then led her up to bed. Jaimie softly explained to her, "Give him space. It's always a tough time with dads when their daughters find the heart of a boy or girl. He loves you, he's just afraid of what might happen to you. It won't happen for a long time, but you'll be a mom which scares him." Sylvia drifted off to bed with images of her and Chance married and having a baby boy that looked just like Chance. It made her feel great, Jaimie saw her subtle smile and knew that she was in love with him too despite only just finding out that loved her. The two were meant to be together, like Jaimie and Rick had been destined to be together at the same age. Across town, the Daniels family awaited the return of Simon and Emily. Out on the porch, George and a nervous Jenna talked about the renovations to the house, with George suggesting borrowing the now-empty Smith home close to the Samuels home. It was easier on Dan's company to do both, with George seeing that it was beneficial to also have someone staying at the Smith home deter anyone from trying to stay in it without permission and stripping it clean of appliances and furniture. Jenna agreed with it, but it still had the same problem: lack of room. This was solved by Anne Connors coming outside and announcing, "I'll stay with Miles and Christina. I know you wanted me close by to keep the girls in line, but they have that with Rachel and Reyna." Tracy came out and complained about Rachel and Reyna making them change diapers while Mario had a look of horror over changing diapers for them. Jenna grinned and told the boy, "It's only if you get to be punished. The kids are good kids, but Tracy stupidly got caught smoking behind school with some girls who wanted her to get in trouble so had to change diapers for two weeks. She learned her lesson." Mario looked relieved, Jenna happily told him, "You still have to do your homework and clean your room as well as help around the house. You might be eight, but you still have to do chores. I know you haven't had much yet, but that'll change when we have to move into the Smith house." Emily arrived and saw Simon kiss her goodbye. She was walking on air as he broke the kiss, with both Jenna and George taking her inside while Simon offered a meek goodbye to them. Inside, Jenna gave a happy look and told the girl, "He likes you a lot. You are still too young for love, but he likes you more than just a girlfriend. You can go on dates unsupervised, but don't push things again." Tracy was jealous and showed it. She wanted a boyfriend like her sister but couldn't get any of the 7th grade boys to date her. Jae Gibson got the best boys, mostly because they tried to date her to get at her father but it still irked her that Jae could be so lucky and use them to get guys to pleasure her. Jenna sent George ahead and told her, "Jae is following a dangerous path. You aren't like her, you are a sweet young lady. There's a boy for you, just give it time. He'll find you eventually." Tracy countered, "Jae's such a bitch! We know she's upset because people know about her mom's past as well as Uncle Rick's connection, but she makes it so tough to like her. We know she's trying to get her dad's attention but none of us want to tell her to stop acting that way. It's hard to not get jealous of her." Jenna hugged her tightly then confessed to her, "Trust me, I know the feeling. Your Aunt Claire and I had the same issues with your Aunt Christina back when she was the same age as you. She had a reason for being that way, just as Jae does. She needed a dose of reality to see that it wasn't good and when we saw that she wasn't faking it we took her in as one of us and we became sisters because of that. Jae has cousins who'll help her see that she's not the best person, especially Sylvia herself. She'll listen to her older sister, even if she refuses to claim that she's Jae's sister. She'll help Jae, and if Jae can't accept that she'll live with the consequences." Jenna shed a tear at remembered the "bad times" when her sister wasn't her sister yet and was a bitch to all of her classmates. She explained, "Some people are good people at heart and don't know it. Jae is the product of people using her to get what they need, just like Christina was. They want to separate Jae from her relatives, making you dislike her. Jae can be a good person, try to be that for her. It's a tough place to be for her: famous father plus mother with a past that everyone wants to forget but always gets brought back up, she's in need of real friends but hasn't found them yet. Be that for her." Both went to bed but saw Jenna packing some of their things for the move while she calmed herself. It was painful to think that history was repeating itself and someone that they knew and loved had been in a hurtful place without support due to actions of others. Jae was one of them, Jenna loved the smart and big hearted girl who always had questions and wanted to know more about everything- just like Sylvia. In the morning, the family packed as much as they could from the bedrooms and attic and moved out to the Smith home. The girls were happy to be there, especially as Paige Smith had the best electronics so the girls could watch their favorite shows on a big wall-mounted TV. Tracy felt better about being in a place she loved deeply, even if her aunt and uncle didn't live there except on vacations. Tracy complained that Rachel was already eyeing her, with Mario scared that she'd make him change a diaper. Rachel came over and grinned, with Jenna telling her, "Don't push it. You've got Mario spooked about changing diapers. No, he hasn't earned the 'right' to change diapers yet. He's bee an angel so far." Rachel hugged the little boy and smiled at him, with Mario asking if he had to change diapers. Rachel gave a smug look then announced, "Only if you didn't do your homework." That sent Mario off to check to make sure it was done, causing him to work hard while giving the adults time to talk alone. Jenna sighed and asked, "What can we do about Jae? She has Tracy upset and thinking that she has to be a slut to get a boy. Sylvia and Mitch aren't aware of just how she's acting, it's gotten to how you were in school. If we don't get her to stop, she'll turn into you. No offense." Rachel shook her head and countered, "She's gotta see it for herself. I'll talk with her, Sylvia and Mitch will understand why I'm doing it. They need the help, only I'm capable of stopping her before it's too late and they end up as grandparents a decade too early." George complained about moving everything but got help from Simon. The teen wanted to do it to win over George but George was already won over by his maturity with his daughter. After Simon moved the last boxes, George sat him down and explained to him, "You didn't have to do that. We know why you are here and it isn't needed. We love her, but it's clear that you aren't going to do what most boys do with pretty young ladies who are in the throes of womanhood. You are the right man for her." Simon looked down in shame and boldly told him, "I love her. I've loved her for years but there's always something getting in the way of dating her. I'm relieved that she never found a better boyfriend but do not want to upset you by doing something that we shouldn't do. I know she wants to do more, but I love her and refuse to let her be like Grandma Lilly and end up with a baby she doesn't want. I can't do that to her, I don't care if it means we break-up because I'm moving too slow- I'm not pushing things." George hugged the sobbing boy, then explained to him, "That's what we want to know. You are the right boy for her: someone who put her first but won't let her push the limit. She did something dumb, but it's been settled and she learned her lesson. You showed you are man enough to know your limits and back away from them before you break them. That's the mark of a man, something few boys learn. Your own cousin is learning this, Sylvia learned that last night as did Brady and Chance. All of you are the most mature kids in your school, with only Antonio and Sophia being more mature and even then it's due to their being older than you. Go to Antonio if you need to talk. Go to Johnny. Go to Chance. They'll talk you through the issues, nobody would dare go against them or else face trouble from us. All of us." The two did the bulk of moving things into the house while the ladies and Mario saw through what was happening and let the guys bond. George needed to do it for himself while Simon wouldn't let George do the moving alone. Mario wanted to help, but he was quietly told, "It's a thing a dad has to do for his daughter's boyfriend. You'll do the same in the future, it's inevitable." Simon ate with the family and watched the baseball game with them before he went home to Claire and Will giving him big smirks. Simon blushed while Claire casually told him, "She loves you and you love her. George accepts you as her boyfriend, that was the hardest part of all of that. You won him over just by being yourself and showing that you are going to be a good person to her." Throughout the day the Samuels family did the same as the Daniels family. John enjoyed having Liv with him as the two moved her things into her room and listened to one another's stories. She couldn't believe some of the things that the family had done over the years but Richard happily told her, "It's all true and that's the barest-bones stories! Some of the stuff that the kids did would make you laugh hard." Jaimie and Rick blushed deeply while Sylvia groaned and told Liv, "If he keeps that up I'm going to get Granty Melanie: Grandpa knows not to joke about the past! Granty Melanie has the best stories, all of which she'll tell you because she loves teasing Grandpa." She led Liv next door with John and Richard smirking at their trick working. The two were going to do a lot of things to make Liv's new room feel like her own, but not quite permanent. They happily put up new, "Walls" but really just colored plastic that matched the same in Liv's old room which she didn't yet know would be put into her half of the attic and give her a sense of it being her true bedroom. School was tough for Sylvia as her parents started work while she got a ride in with John. Her staying with the family caused whispers which only made her day tougher. Chance kissing her deeply helped ease things, while Johnny let the truth be known: her house was getting renovated so she wasn't kicked out of the house nor did the house catch fire nor did the family go bankrupt. He glared at the worst offenders, letting them know that the truth was stronger than their fiction as they would have to tell multiple teachers why they decided to lie about someone whose family knew full well what was happening. The fact that he did so in front of John, his great-uncle Jake, and other family members/teachers caused the gossipers to fight for words. Jake grinned and told the worst that they had to explain to their parents why they lied to students and then suspended them for two weeks. Liv had to endure not seeing Brooklyn in class. Ronda pulled her aside and explained to her, "Brooklyn has been transferred to Mrs. King's school at her mother's demand. We all felt that it's best for you that she go. She wasn't happy about that, but she wanted you to be able to learn without fear of what her mom would do to you. Monica is barred from the school and can't come back so you are safe here, but sadly her father has to work a lot more now thanks to her mother forcing his bosses to give him more work. I'm sorry that this is hurting you, but it's not your fault. You'll be alright, you have cousins who'll help you. Class will be fine with you, just give it time." She was right as class went well and saw the kids including Liv in their activities. Knowing that Liv was one of the Samuels family and thus a Finn went a long way towards acceptance and saw the kids seeing her as an equal and not a newcomer. She did well and relaxed as the day wore on, especially as she got to enjoy talking with Quinn during lunch. She went to Quinn's house after school, with Eli going with Mario to his house. Mario and he were like -minded but still kept distance from one another, but they were able to do their work then play Mario's game system for hours until it was time to go home. Eli was grateful for Mario, even if he didn't say it. Things started to go normal after that. Simon and Emily were often together after school and saw Mario and Eli going with them whenever they finished their homework and the teens had nothing else to do. It was a big test for them as they quelled their urges while seeing Simon enjoy being a big brother to the eager Mario while showing Eli that he was family even if the two didn't see one another often. Rachel was true to her word and tried to warn Jae about her behavior and about the girls using her to go after their family without seeming to do so. Jae tuned her out after the first few minutes, when Rachel finally stopped talking she told her that the girls said she'd say all of that and try to keep them apart. It took all of Rachel's might to not scream at the teen, but when she finally found the strength to respond she told her animatedly, "They should know what I'd say since I know how they think: it's the same way I was at the same age! There's a reason why I was sent to talk to you instead of any of your mom's other cousins and 2nd-cousins: you are just like me! Face facts: you are being used by them and don't see it!" Jae started to get jealous of Tracy and the girls but had a long heart- to-heart with the younger Sylvia as she forced Jae to confront her demons and admit that she was full of jealousy and anger at everyone in their family all but ignoring her while going out of their way to be there for the Finns and Samuels branches of the family. It irked her that her grandparents didn't seem to know that she existed unless it was for their convenience, with the younger Sylvia having to hug her to quell her sobbing. It was tough to admit that, but it was the honest truth: she had the least time with her grandparents overall. Sylvia steeled herself then explained to Jae, "They love you regardless of how much time they get to see you. Your parents are the only ones who don't work in Boston or Winnisimmet and you are the only one of us whose other grandparents don't live in Winnisimmet. We all have grandma Valerie and Grandpa John close by, but your Grandpa Les and Grandma Mary live across the country from you and see you even less than anyone. You aren't alone in your feelings, I was just as jealous as you when it comes to seeing Grandpa John and Grandma Valerie- I was even farther away so I had to travel all night to see them! You got to go to VentureRealm every day while you went to visit them during summers, we've all only been there once and that was for the big 10th anniversary. I missed out on a lot of the fun in the city, you got to experience it yourself. You lost a lot of time during April and February vacations here, but you also got to see family that I didn't get to see at all." She shed a tear then told her half-sister, "I'd be a bad sister if I didn't tell you about the girls that keep on egging you on. Yeah, I know. I'm not supposed to act that way since I'm officially your cousin- but you are still my younger sister and I have to help you by being a big sister even if we all hate when I have to act that way. Those girls are trouble. They are jealous. They want you to get in trouble so they can all have a big laugh at your expense. They keep telling you how to act and how to do things- they are all doing it to get you in trouble. They want you to not find a boyfriend so they can get one. Tracy and the other girls are different. Tracy's a good girl, you just have to see that you are a beautiful, smart, talented girl who doesn't need a boyfriend yet. You are you and nobody can tell you otherwise. You are the best at getting people to do what you want, just like your mom and me. You are better than them: you have a family that loves you. We all do, even if you don't see it. Don't act like a bitch, be a friend. You are part of the family no matter what and those girls will never be- be yourself, be a friend. Tracy wants to be a friend, you just have to accept that they are wrong and are going to end up hurting themselves soon." She sighed and told Jae, "I can guarantee you that those girls will all end up pregnant by 10th grade. I'm not sure they can go that long without sex, they probably already slept with boys in 8th and 9th grade and want to get you to follow them. You are better than them, you know that you can't do that stuff yet. You are 13, not 18. I'm not even going to do that, I love Chance but I'm not ready for sex. I did a few things that I'm not proud of but I know my limits and he won't let us go further. Trust me: you won't get to go beyond kissing until 9th grade and even then you'll be the one who pushes the boy along. Don't get upset if you don't have a boyfriend yet, few girls actually have one at your age! The ones that do are either loose like those girls who are tormenting you or girls who happen to know their boyfriends close like Emily and Simon or Johnny and Deborah or our aunts and uncles. You aren't ready for boys yet, you may think that you are, but you aren't. I can see it in your eyes. You might be developing breasts and had your first period, but you are still months if not a year away from wanting real dates." Sylvia left, but was embraced in a hug by her aunt who was in tears. The younger Sylvia whispered to her, "I'm her sister. Sorry, but I'm her sister no matter how hard we try to not talk about it. I had to act as it for her sake. I love her, I don't want her to make a mistake because some slut is jealous of her. I love her, she's my sister even if she's only my cousin officially. Sisters have to help sisters. Family has to be there for family. I love her, just like I love you and Uncle Mitch." The elder Sylvia agreed, with Jaimie coming out of her hiding spot to tell her, "Sisters do help, which is why I had Sylvia hold off doing something. You needed to do this for Jae's sake, she needed to hear it from you and only you. She looks up to you, you are the only one she'll truly listen to. You are the eldest girl among the kids, even if Sophia and Antonio are older you are still the eldest in maturity. I love them, but Sophia is too much like her aunt and not enough like her mom and dad and uncle. Same for Antonio, but then again boys are slower to mature than girls- right Mitch?" Mitch Gibson blushed while Matthew Gibson tried to make sense of what his aunt was saying about his father. Mitch wisely told the boy, "She means we are younger in mind than women. She's right, sadly it's something you'll learn when you are older. We might age at the same rate, but maturity is slower in us." Jaimie left with Jae happily understanding what Jaimie meant as she looked at her parents and saw that it was the truth: she was maturing but boys weren't yet. She'd try to be better to her cousins, especially the frequently frustrated Tracy. She didn't want to upset Tracy, but she'd do her best to not do so from then on even if it cost her all of what she had among the girls. The families settled into their lives for the next two months as the kids enjoyed their temporary homes and all that they needed. Liv was saddened to learn that she'd lose Elise Smith as a potential friend as she moved in with her aunt and uncle as they moved to England for the foreseeable future as her uncle Bryan and aunt Paige helped the family estate while Elise's parents were on the road as part of Hannah Smith's book tour. Elise was slowly starting to get close to Liv but tried to not make it appear that she wanted to be friends, now the two were stuck apart with Elise's friends keeping their distance from Liv out of fear of Monica- nobody wanted to upset Monica, even if she couldn't actually hurt them. Mario and Eli were somewhat close but never really went beyond basic gaming and talking. Mario was a good listener, but Eli struggled to be the same for him. It wasn't his fault, he was just so used to others pushing him away that it couldn't understand that Mario liked him as a friend already. Hannah Smith was pregnant with a son which was why her husband wet with her on her book tour. She wasn't the only one pregnant as baby-fever hit the family as Ella announced that she was pregnant after the first session proved to be successful for the couple. It was then followed by Cat happily showing off her baby bump and sonograms of her twins- continuing the family trend of multiples, even if it was due to her mother's side of the family instead of her father's side like Hannah. Coupled with Rebecca Samuels' pregnancy, that was four pregnancies among the family in a span of a little over six months- all of which caused John to feel like he was getting old while Valerie had to tell him to stop being so melodramatic. Eli asked what the big deal was, Valerie happily told the boy, "He doesn't like his babies growing up. Cat is his little angel no matter how much she grows in body, now she's officially a woman and will be a mommy. We are happy that she's going to be a mother, especially as it won't impact her writing. Karma will be funny, she'll get lots of sleepless nights thanks to twins. Hopefully her daughter will be just like her: trouble for her just as Cat was for her dad." After a happy two months together, the Daniels and Samuels families moved back home and saw both sets of girls screaming with joy at seeing their new bedrooms. Sylvia loved that she had a glass door so it allowed in the morning sun while Liv's walls made her scream with joy, especially as the big secret was shown to her. Liv thanked Richard and Rick, but it was all Thomas' idea with Gavin telling him to do it for Liv since the little girl needed to know that it was her space. Both uncles were hugged deeply then kissed by Liv. She hung off of Gavin, with Thomas joking that he had fatherhood down already while Gavin complained that he already was a father yet still needed help. Liv was happy to have them going back and forth as it showed the did it for her out of love, with Rick having to hide that Al was secretly the genius since she was the one who bought the wall coverings in the first place- even if the originals had to be removed due to being too small for the room. It was their little secret, they needed her affection while Al was Al and would know her role without saying so. Nearby, Emily and Tracy were in tears as they say their rooms with "T" and "E" on the doors and then a shower between the two rooms along with linen closet. Jenna smirked as both realized that they'd have to do their own laundry and clean their bathroom now that they were mature enough to do so. It was the girls' floor and they'd have to maintain it themselves, the price to pay for a little bit of independence. Mario's room was his own space and featured a lot of bookshelves and storage for toys. He was happy to see that, especially as he had a lot of new toys that George knew he'd love: dinosaurs, cars, and the go-to for kids- Lego bricks. It was what Mario always wanted, he had a gaming system but George told him, "You need to do more than play on the gaming system. Quinn and Ryder love these, Ryder has the same toys and Quinn builds with her Legos every chance she has. Enjoy yourself, son." Mario slowly started to distance himself from Eli as he and Quinn and Ryder got closer. The two were a good influence on Mario and kept him interested in things outside of the house, but Mario still kept to himself whenever he was alone. It was to be expected, he'd need a long time to get acclimated to being a part of the family and having so many relatives who wanted to help him out. A month after the move, the family received word that they had a hearing in front of Judge Roy Parker. It was the big one, with George realizing that it was late but likely due to a larger than normal amount of people fighting over custody as the school year ending and trying to use kids as a bargaining chip in their divorces. That was alright with him, they had what they wanted and Mario was dong well. Jenna was glad that her sabbatical was extended as she wouldn't have been able to go to the hearing to be with Mario if wasn't. It wasn't an ideal time to have the hearing, especially with the large uptick in complaints. Coincidentally, those were also related to the number of hearing that Roy had to deal with that same time causing him to feel that solid families like the Daniels family could wait for finalizing. Roy called them forward, looked over Mario, the approved the adoption. It was over and done in a few minutes. Mario was upset that he had to go to school, causing Roy laughs as Jenna led him out. The families got settled into a routine, but the call of parenthood proved too much as both George and Rick finally saw that they missed having a baby and wanted Jenna and Jaimie to have another child. It was followed by George booking Jenna a fertility treatment while Rick and his chosen surrogate did the insemination via donor egg and fertility center. Both fathers were proud to ignore the complaints by all who felt that they were "cheating" on their wives even if neither woman had sex and Jenna had to be forced by her family to see that George loved her enough to love the baby as his own regardless of it being officially some other man's baby. The pregnancies were successful, with Jaimie's surrogate keeping her distance from them and only ever talking via an intermediary- Trinity Eliza. She never told them who the person was, but Jaimie felt that it was likely one of her classmates. It didn't matter to her, Trinity told the woman that she'd be taken care of when the baby was born so she didn't miss out on school. Both Rick and George got news that made them smile: the babies were going to be boys. Rick had his own son by blood which he intended to name Austin Woods Samuels in honor of his grandfather while George might not have a son by blood but he'd love the baby regardless and it meant more to him that his son would be named George Connors Daniels in honor of Jenna's father. George refused to name the baby George Michael Daniels Jr., he wanted Jenna's father to be honored in that indirect way. Throughout the summer, Jaimie and the kids had to endure fight after fight regarding Hiram McKinnon and his will. The family sued them for the money, claiming that they weren't blood to him then that she wasn't family as he cast her out of the family years before. All of that was laughed at by the judge as he pointed out that the man left specific instructions and as the next-of-kin by default they get everything. The fight led to threats which led to more fighting and finally people showing up at the Samuels home. That was a stupid move as Rick tossed the men out of the house- literally, with Eli kicking them in the crotch after they tried to grab him while Liv smashed them over the head with a lamp. Jaimie didn't do a thing, she called the police and had the men arrested for breaking and entering and assault on minors. The family broke every restraining order against them and saw all of the male McKinnons ending up in county jail while the females were left to tell their husband why they were seeking what wasn't theirs and why they shouldn't divorce them for lying to them about being from bigshot families. None of the McKinnon families survived through the summer, only the branches in Winnisimmet were unaffected and saw their counterparts finally admit that they were the the best members of the family as all of the Jones/Finn/Finn-Nelson/Samuels members were their own people. Not one of them needed the money, but every other member of the family needed it to continue to live their lives of luxury in Missouri. The money was released in late August and went right to the kids' trust funds. Jaimie refused to touch it and it would do a lot of good sitting there. She did ask them to do something positive, leading the kids to offer it to charities- just as Jaimie had done with her own wealth and hoped that they'd do too. She gave $200 million of her $600 million to the McKinnon family in a trust that forced the members to be law-abiding citizens to retain the wealth, with the ex-wives not being allowed any of the money unless they had children so that it was truly just the family itself who benefited. It was an olive branch but it was more than they deserved in Mick's eyes. Jaimie chose to be the better person and help them so that they could reform and do better even if most would end up losing shares due to bad behavior. The family did see some turnaround that the wealth brought, with 2/3rds of the family able to buy their homes outright or buy their businesses from their bosses leading to the McKinnons thriving. Jaimie had a hand in helping their communities without realizing it, with the kids seeing that having money isn't a blessing- what you did with it was. They were happy to have the money, but saw that you can work just as hard no matter what you have in the bank. The kids' other inheritances were tougher to obtain. Rick fought the trucking company whose truck had sideswiped their parents' RV causing the crash and won a heft $5 million settlement then saw the RV company having to pay them for faulty brakes and wiring- the true cause of their deaths. He set aside the money for the kids, with them handing it over to their future brother to have as his own money. Jaimie's former hospital ended up paying her $2 million for their actions: she was owed $200,000 for the overtime she worked as well as for vacations that were never taken and finally for defaming her to the state licensing board once they were forced to let her go by their lawyers. He didn't fool around, he went for their throats. He was backed by his former firm, with the Kaplans getting ever penny owed. The buyout from the Kaplans was $10 million and went right into a trust fund for the baby. Sylvia had no need for the money as her own trust fund was over $25 million thanks to her parents' contributing as well as her uncle Michael's stock choices. The baby never had to work a day in his life but would see his sibling happily forcing him to work hard and enjoy being "normal" like them. Things were going well for the families. The future looked bright and would only get brighter for them as the families move on with their lives and settled in to lives in Winnisimmet. It was only a matter of time before the next generation was ready to move out on their own, but that wasn't happening for another year when the eldest of their generation graduated high school. The End.