Family Found Part 2 free porn video

Paige and Bryan went to bed with an ominous feeling as Valerie Finn didn't mince words when things are getting serious. They had to cancel their plans to visit some of the children's activities but it wasn't catastrophic to their week. The girls would be fine riding horses and playing with Lucy while helping Chef Paine with some of the meal preparations, something that Elise had always enjoyed but never let anyone else know. If they were lucky, Hamish Paine may come by to see them and give Lucy a break so the girls could play with someone closer to their age. He was going to be around anyway and his mother could use the break from keeping an eye on him. What he knew about Anne was anyone's guess but he was happy to play with girls as long as they were fine playing with him. Bryan texted Ruby to ask her to come up there so they could talk, hoping that it would get her to calm down while Paige texted Arthur to relay what Valerie had alluded to. Arthur immediately called to tell them that the investigation into Anne had stalled as files kept disappearing and the man assigned to her case, Toby Ward, was struggling to explain how so much information could provoke so little action from him. He was a decent social worker but he was struggling with Anne's case for some reason and looked to be covering for Benson and Hedges but was on the hook for everything now. Paige asked about Benson and Hedges, getting a growling, "They were removed from Anne's case but no action was taken as they weren't the social worker on record- it was Ward. He never had the chance to meet with Anne, it was handled by them on his behalf. He was supposedly working to get Anne into a caring foster family but for some reason, the families he had lined up all refused to help Anne." Paige smelled something awful and asked if the families had been contacted by someone other than Ward, which Arthur had to now see as Benson and Hedges cutting him off from the front so he was forced to put Anne in that horrible group home until a family was found. Arthur complained, "You just uncovered in 10 seconds what I've been trying to uncover in days. It's the only thing that fits. The duo is trying to get at Anne for some reason. Isla needs to speak with her, if she can tell her what she knows about her paternal family she might be able to go with them by force. I know you have your heart set on her being adopted by you but we have to follow the law and it may be that she has family who would be able to take her in and help her be who she needs to be." Paige had to give in to him, it wasn't her right to keep Anne from her family even if it meant she herself would be giving up Anne as a daughter. She just hoped that her family was willing to love her the way she needed to be loved, otherwise things could get bad for Anne fast. It pained her to think about Anne being male again, but it was something beyond her control if Anne's family intervened. Bryan didn't get a response from Ruby but Max did text to tell him that they would be up the next day. It was a long way to travel but it was for Anne's own good and he wasn't about to let someone else take over the case and blow it, potentially harming Anne. He was his father's son even if they weren't blood. The two went to bed feeling bad but getting a solid eight hours of sleep. They were awoken by the girls climbing into bed with them with both hugging them. Paige couldn't help but smile and kiss them on their cheeks while Bryan carefully left to go to the bathroom and get changed in private. The girls let Paige get dressed, use the bathroom, then led her down to breakfast. There was a lot of fun in Elise's eyes as she looked at Paige and Bryan as they ate. Anne was quiet but looked a lot better than she had looked the day before, even smiling more as Elise talked her ear off. After breakfast, Paige sat Elise down and explained what was going on with her parents. Elise cheered as she realized that her dream was coming true, she was no longer going to be living with her aunt and uncle. Paige had to caution her that it was a month away but it didn't matter to the little girl. Elise asked how she found out about her parents coming back so soon. Paige smirked and told her, "You missed their call last night. The two of you were fast asleep when they called. It was too cute the way the two of you were cuddled together, hugging Sammi tightly." Elise blushed while Anne asked who is Sammi. Elise whispered to her, "She's my cabbit. Auntie Cat gave her to me to sleep with when she went off to college. She says she had a boyfriend to cuddle with now so I could have Sammi to cuddle with when mommy and daddy had to work." Anne snickered while Paige complained about having a chat with Cat about her little joke, she didn't appreciate cat making a sex joke to a five- year-old. Bryan had to hold back his laughter as he was there with Pete when Cat gave Sammi to Elise, it was too cute of a moment to scold Cat and Pete didn't get the joke until it was too late. Pete was glad Hannah wasn't there, she would have added her own take on the joke just to turn things around on Cat as only one of the ladies of their family could. The kids were sent to change into their "play clothes" which for Elise meant her mucking clothes. She was OK with doing her punishment, but she didn't expect Anne to join her in it. Paige was going to take Anne out to meet the horses and possibly entice her to try and ride one of them then walk around the estate while Elise worked, it would help Elise focus and give Anne something to do until Elise was able to join them for their riding. In the estate's office, Bradford and the elder Ophelia were preparing for the arrival of Theo Baker. He would be staying in the butler's room in the staff quarters even if he didn't take the job. There was little doubt that he would refuse the job, but it was always a chance. Theo arrived just after 9 AM and was led to the office by the housekeeper. Bradford and Ophelia were quick to introduce themselves while Bryan entered and was introduced as the estate's executive director and the chief overseer for the Smith family investments. Theo wasn't aware that Bryan was going to be his boss but Bradford had to sadly explain, "I am no longer able to do much of the work that needs to be done to maintain the estate. My wife is little better, although she hides her ill health flawlessly." Bryan quickly added, "I'm only here temporarily until my parents can take over the estate. They are the ones whom you will have the most contact with. My brother-in-law was supposed to do this but sadly my new nephew came along making my brother-in-law need to help my sister. They will be returning in a month so I'll be able to handle the London area operations while he takes over up here." Bradford explained what Theo would be doing, who he would report to, who would report to him, and if there were any issues then who had the final say. It was standard operations of a manor home, even if it was a smaller staff than some of the larger homes would have at a minimum it was the same. He could see that the family was close and cared more about maintaining the property than doing as many other aristocrats did and put on a false facade for the public while struggling financially. Bradford asked if there were any issues that needed to be addressed, allowing Theo to drop his news and accept whatever he expected Bradford to do to him. Theo carefully but methodically explained, "As you are likely to be told, I am transgender. I was born Tilly Cook but changed my name when I couldn't live as a female any longer. I know this upsets a great many people but I will not compromise who I am for the sake employment. I have had many offers rescinded thanks to word being spread by a colleague. I understand he was once employed here, a Clarence Harrison." Bradford smiled and proudly proclaimed, "He was fired yesterday, you are succeeding him. Your resume is a strong one, even better than his. You have integrity and treat children right. You won't be doing any of childcare, cooking, or cleaning here, your job will be to oversee the domestic household while their parents oversee the kids. That's actually one thing that my son and daughter-in-law have insisted upon for years and their children have followed along with when they themselves had children." Ophelia felt that it would be best to come out with the truth so things didn't get awkward later. She told him, "You are not the only transgender person who will be around here. Our granddaughter is also transgender and happily married to an incredible young man and has a young son via egg donor. Bryan here is fostering a young lady who is just starting to be her true self. There will likely be meetings with our friends Charles and Grace and their son Arthur. Arthur is transgender like yourself and is both married and a father of four." The message was clear to Theo, with Bradford moving the conversation on to compensation for the job as a segue to end the discussion. The pay was a substantial increase over what he had been paid before, Theo would have done anything to get the job but they had made it clear that the interview was just a formality and he was already hired. With that out of the way, they showed him to his room and agreed to give him until the end of the week to move in as he had to first clear out his bedsit first. The fact that the room was included in the contract, as were meals and holidays off made it a dream job for Theo. He was proud to be working for a family who was far ahead of their time and trying to be the family of the future even if they still retained their past with dignity and respect. Theo was only too happy to be shown around the manor then some of the key parts of the estate and meet the staff who would be working under him as well as the housekeeper who would be working with him. The staff were unsure how to treat the new butler but seeing Bradford and Bryan liking the man gave the staff a sense that it was going to be alright now. None of them liked Harrison and saw two of the maids quit in disgust over his treatment of them. He did it when the housekeeper was away on a trip visiting her dying parents making it seem a little too coordinated by Harrison to have not been timed to ensure that he had no repercussions against him. Theo caught the eye of one of the maids, who seemed to like what she saw in Theo. It was an unwritten rule that household staff didn't fraternize with one another but it wasn't enforced by the Smiths due to it being hypocritical of them to do so after their granddaughter Emma became pregnant by her future husband when she was part of the staff 18 years before. Theo didn't notice the looks and even so, he wouldn't dare break the rules. Theo was the talk of the household as the kids arrived back from their horseback riding and mucking. Anne was sore and bruised as she was unsure in the saddle and sat the wrong way causing the saddle to whack her butt and privates at times. It didn't help that her gaff made her penis compressed and cause her severe pain at times as they rode over some bumpy terrain in the paddock. In her room, Anne inspected the damage in the mirror and winced at the bruising. It hurt but it was nothing that you could see unless you tore off her skirt and leggings. Paige asked to see how she was doing and upon seeing the extent of some of the bruising decided to have a doctor look at the wounds just in case something was hurt inside that none of them noticed. It would also help to have the injuries well documented just in case someone made a false claim about the bruising coming from Bryan or Paige, it wouldn't take much for someone to claim that they were possibly from spanking or worse. The duo left with Bryan to go to the doctor to get Anne checked out. Elise had to be left with Lucy, who was more than happy to babysit Elise as she was earning a nice sum of money from doing so. It was tough to explain to Elise what was going on, but she understood it involved Anne's private area and the horses so she didn't even want to think about what might have happened. Anne was seen by the nurses and doctor on duty, who understood what was going on and why. He was not happy that Anne had chosen to ride with her penis restrained, even if she is transgender it was not a good idea to do so as it could cause severe injuries and tears of tendons and ligaments requiring major surgery. He understood the bruising and the locations were exactly as any rider would know, it was standard first- time rider's bruising but was more painful due to her restrained penis. They were released with Anne told to wait two days before riding again and even then she had to have extra padding in the saddle to help with some of the impacts. She wasn't allowed to ride with the gaff on though. Paige had to explain it was for her own good, but she was still disappointed at hearing that. Paige suddenly realized that they may now have trouble because of the bruising being part of Anne's medical record. If Benson and Hedges started to dig into her personal files especially her medical files Anne might be removed, "For her own safety" and Bryan and Paige put in jail on charges of abuse or worse. They had to beg Arthur for help, but he told them that it was being taken care of by Ruby. Ruby Evans was awaiting them back at the estate. She had interviewed both Ophelia and Bradford then had to interview Elise while Lucy's mother, Chef Paine, observed on Elise's behalf. Arthur was there as well but due to his closeness to Ruby, he couldn't directly get involved unless absolutely necessary. When they entered, Ruby took Anne off to the side and had Chef Paine join them again. Anne was asked what happened to her legs and privates then what she told Paige and Bryan and what she told the doctor and nurses. Anne told the truth, with Ruby wincing as she heard just how painful it was. Ruby was satisfied that everything was in order just from the interviews of the girls, but she also read the doctor's summary and recommendations which backed up what the girls had said. She then asked to interview Paige and Bryan separately, with both giving the same story but with Paige giving a more detailed account, which was expected as she had been the one to see the bruises directly and was alongside Anne as she rode. Ruby was ready to draw her conclusion but was stopped by a phone call from her superior, Garry Grant who wanted to know what she was doing in Lincolnshire and why she was investigating Anne's case without his consent. Curious as to how he could have known about that, she asked if he was demanding officially or if he was asking as a professional courtesy. She had him now, if he was demanding officially then she had all the reason to investigate as she had reason to believe that there was a systemic abuse of Anne by the members of social services. If he was asking as a professional courtesy, he had no reason to know and as she had not told anyone where she was going there was no reason for her to answer him. Arthur wrote something down that got her to gasp as she waited for him to respond. Garry asked if she was aware of Ward leading the investigation already but that didn't answer her question. He tried to stall but finally stated, "Ward asked why you were looking into the Anil Patel case. He was assigned this case a week ago and was ready to close it out until you stuck your fingers in it." Arthur smirked, Ruby had never told anyone where she was going or why she was going to the estate. It was easy to see that someone had hacked into her phone and read the texts from Max, Arthur, and Bryan. There was no warrant for the electronic surveillance of her phone so someone hacked into it. Ruby chose her words carefully and asked if she was going to be disciplined for continuing to assist a police investigation that only a few knew about. Garry immediately clammed up and realized his own mistake and told her that he would not stop her from doing what she was doing. She responded with a quick, "It doesn't matter what you do, what was done is done. I am acting on behalf of our office and assisting a child in need which as of now will be backfiring against us. I'd have your CV in order as I don't believe that the child's foster parents nor their solicitors will be letting this go. I'm protected so don't even think of trying to muddy the waters in an attempt to retaliate against me. Know your sources and know just where the information came from and why. There's a rat or two in our office. Ward can scream bloody murder for all I care, I am acting in accordance with our rules and regulations." Ruby hung up and told her brother, "Talk with Anne about her family, she is in danger from Benson and Hedges. Those two are way too concerned about keeping Anne under their control to have this be about helping her. Something is wrong with them and Anne is just a pawn in their game." Arthur looked at his wife Isla, she walked over to Anne and walked her into the billiards room to talk. She introduced herself to Anne and told her that she understood what she was going through as Arthur is like her and went through a lot of tough times at her age. She was telling Anne all of this for trust, it was easier to get her to see that they were talking for a good reason and it was best to cooperate. Isla asked about what she knew about her father. Anne slumped her shoulders and whispered in a barely audible voice, "He was some kind of financial adviser. He talked with mum's family about their business and how they could save for retirement better. Mum and he talked for a long time as grandpa and his brothers decided what to do with their money. Mum fell in love with him but grandpa didn't approve of it. Since he only had a daughter and none of his brothers had children he wanted mum to marry a friend's son so he would take over after grandpa retired. He was oldest so he was getting the family business instead of his brothers. Mum didn't listen and ran off with dad. She married him in a small town in Cornwall and got pregnant. Mum had me but he didn't stay with us for long." Isla sensed pain and asked why. Anne shed a tear then told her, "Mum said that his friends didn't like her and always tried to get dad to leave her. They would do a lot of things to make mum look bad until she finally did something that dad thought was cheating and caused him to leave. The two kissed mum and took pictures claiming she tried to have sex with them. Dad believed it since he always believed them. They told mum that if she ever tried to contact dad again they would take me away from her. Mum seems to know that they are around still, but I think dad is dead. Mum was crying one night when she read the newspaper, it was of a funeral for someone. He died two years ago, mum wasn't the same after that and started to hit me and call me a lot of bad names. The men who took me away from her came by a couple of times to tell her that I was going to get taken away from her if she didn't try to stop looking into where dad was. They told her that they know about her hurting me. They weren't nice men." Isla was writing down everything that Anne told her, she didn't know how important it was but Anne had just sealed the fate of Benson and Hedges. The two were going down in flames as soon as they got to court the following Monday. As much as she wanted to nail the bastards for their blatant neglect and abuse of the system in how they treated Anne, Isla needed the rest of the week to track down Anne's biological father and whatever records there are regarding him and his family. Isla led Anne back out and proclaimed to her sister-in-law Ruby, "Benson and Hedges knew full well of the abuse and neglect that Anne's mother was heaping on her. The two threatened her and used Anne as a way of keeping her away from her ex-husband. We have to track down their marriage records, I think this is more than it seems. Those two couldn't have cared any less about Anne but for some reason, they were always close to her to the point of manipulating her situation. Nail them. It's on you now." Ruby was already on the phone with her boss while Arthur was going over his head and calling friends at the council's legal office. Isla contacted Max and had him divert to the General Register Office to research Anne's claims about her father. Max saw where this was leading and alerted his father that it was about to become very difficult for him shortly, Sir Charles Evans would likely have to endure visits from a few people who were in the pocket of or close to Benson and Hedges who could cause him trouble but he would be ready to counterattack whatever they had to threaten him over. Anne felt horrible that all of this was happening and started to cry. Paige hugged her tightly while Isla told her that it was a good thing that she told the truth, they couldn't hurt her anymore and they would get what they deserved for what they had done to her. The mother in Isla was showing, Arthur shook his head and calmly told Isla, "Two each is enough, it's tough enough as it is with the kids so young." Isla gave him a smile, she played him perfectly. She loved him deeply but instincts were instincts. Anne needed comforting, Isla was acting more like "Aunt Isla" than a mom at that moment. The kids were told to go to the nursery and play, keeping them out of earshot while the adults continued to work on their different parts in protecting Anne. Elise was happy to play Anne, she saw Elise's dolls and had to fight the urge to rush over and hug all of them. Elise handed her one of the ones that she never played with and felt the warmth as Anne hugged it tightly as she sat at a small kitchen play set. The girls were lost in thought and never noticed that Bryan was calling them to lunch. Anne was tough to part with her doll but Elise assured her that she would be able to play later. It was going to be a long, boring afternoon anyway since the adults were so busy working to get the needed information that they would not be able to do much to keep the kids occupied. Lunch was light, just some simple sandwiches and tea. The girls were asked if they wanted to play with Hamish which both agreed to as they hadn't had the chance to yet. Hamish came into the dining room and led both girls out to the Paine family cottage, with the girls playing on Hamish's game system as he tried to show off to Anne but couldn't beat her in his fighting game. Anne was surprised to beat him, she never played video games before as she had no game system let alone the newest system. It was more about her hand/eye coordination than anything, once she learned the moves it was easy to put together proper combinations in quick succession that Hamish couldn't counter. Elise was having the time of her life as the normally laid-back Hamish was fighting swearing as he lost again to the new girl and lost badly as he barely got in a hit let alone a combo move before all of his energy was expelled, causing him to lose and Anne to win yet again. Hamish had tried to hold off asking about Anne as she was just too different than the other Smith kids that he had met, but when his resolve eroded he asked what the big deal was about Anne being there. Elise just smiled and told him, "She's like Aunt Nichole. She was born a boy but Aunt Paige and Uncle Bryan are helping her become a girl and are probably going to adopt her as their daughter." Hamish didn't believe them. He looked over Anne and couldn't believe that she had what he had in his boxers. Elise whispered to him, "It's true, I saw it yesterday. She really has a penis." Hamish saw that Anne was going to cry and stopped asking questions, instead changing to a different game so the three could play something else. He kept looking at Anne and felt weird being near her as she was not what he expected of a boy who was transitioning to being a girl. Elise had to hide a smile as she saw the usually masculine Hamish struggle with what he thought about girls and femininity. The kids played for three hours before it was time to go back to the manor. Lucy walked them back and smiled at her little brother as he looked at Anne with a look of deep thought as all of what he knew about girls came crashing down as he got to see how much he actually didn't really know about girls. It was fun to her, at times he could be so misogynistic thanks to the boys in school but Anne has just shattered his world and made him see that girls can be better than boys at a lot of things. Elise knew what Lucy was thinking and happily added, "They don't have sisters and their dads are dumb so they don't know anything about girls. None of the girls like them in school, maybe he will get a girl to talk to him now." Lucy knew Elise had talked with Hamish a few times over the summer so it was the truth even if he didn't quite realize the reason for the girls not liking the boys. Lucy helped keep the girls out of trouble until dinner and was paid for her babysitting, netting her a tidy sum of money that all but paid for her fun for the rest of the school term. Her friends would love a night out on the town even if she wasn't taking a boy with her and the boys all knew that she had her heart set on BJ when he came back during his three vacations in December, February, and April. The three played dolls for another hour before it was time for dinner. Max was still driving on to the General Registry Office in Merseyside to secure copies of the records and had what he needed but due to the possible hack of their phones and computers, he was picking the information up in person. There was no fight from the registry, they were told the circumstances and were more than happy to help a child who was in need of the information especially one legally orphaned due to abuse. Max would spend the night with friends in nearby Chiselworks, Greater Manchester, before heading back, creating copies that would be left with those friends just in case, "Something happened" to cause the records to be destroyed en-route to court or the council offices. His friends would be happy to help him in any way possible, they were Smiths by blood with one being blood to Emma Peterson, Bryan's sister. The Chiselworks branch of the Smiths would demand to Anne help in any way possible. The kids were brought down to their meal where they were introduced to the newly hired Theo. Elise put on her biggest fake smile while Anne was genuinely afraid of the newcomer. Bryan had to explain to Anne that Theo was a professional and was unlike the jerk who was fired and would not treat her wrong for how she looked nor for how she acted, Theo was there to serve the family- including her. Anne was still unsure about Theo while the conniving little girl in Elise was brought down to earth by Paige telling her firmly, "Theo is not to be tricked or treated as anything other than the butler. If you even think that he will let you get away with screaming, running through the building, throwing your tantrums, or leaving messes for the maids and housekeeper to clean up you can just forget it." Theo was taken aback by Paige's candidness as well as the look on Elise's face as her little plans were thwarted by her aunt before she had the chance to even consider them. Theo was used to kids being a bit of a pain but never had he seen them get so badly outsmarted. Sensing what Theo was thinking, Bryan explained to him, "She's just like her mother. Paige is her best friend and has been close to her since they started school years ago so it's experience at work." The family was sat down to dinner with Theo joining them for the meal as a guest as he wasn't going to start his employment yet. He got to see just how the girls acted and could see how different they were. Anne was as he expected, she had a right to be afraid of Theo despite her fears being unfounded. The dinner was quiet until the family received word from Marion that there was a car approaching the estate. He counted two men inside the car and they looked upset about something. It was clear who was in the car and why they were coming, Benson and Hedges were coming to take Anne from the Smiths. Ruby had to be moved out of the way, with Arthur and Isla fighting the urge to rip the men to shreds for their blatant violation of Anne's rights. They had no right to be up there, they had no reason to seek her out, and they had no excuse for anything they have done involving Anne so far. It was starting to make sense to the couple, Benson and Hedges were a link to Anne's family and needed investigating. Benson and Hedges parked their car and were greeted by Theo, who asked for their names and why they were there. They ignored him and tried to barge in, only to be met by Theo stating that if they did not state who they were and why they were there he'd call the police. He wasn't fooling around, he had his cell phone in hand ready to dial 999 for help. The two were about to fall into Theo's trap and stated, "We are here to remove a boy staying here. He is in danger and needs to come with us for his own protection. If you try to intervene we will have you arrested for interfering with social services. Now get out of our way before we have you arrested for trying to molest the child, you fake man!" That was a huge mistake as they had just shown that they not only knew who Theo was but also knew about his gender change and were willing to lie to the police to get at Anne. Few knew about Theo's gender change, the few who did know were not about to talk to those men. That is all except one person- Clarence Harrison. Benson and Hedges were escorted by Theo to the lounge where Bradford and Ophelia were waiting. The two tried to intimidate the elderly nobles but neither could get a response from them and only led to Bradford demanding to know why they were there and why they felt the need to try to make up a lie in order to threaten their butler. The two men squared off with Bradford again trying to intimidate him but Bradford stood firm and signaled to the maids to stay close to witness their tirades. Hedges broke first and demanded Anne be brought to them or they would have the police there to take her away from the estate. Ophelia asked on what grounds they had to remove Anne, only to be told to shut her mouth as they were about to call the police on them. Ophelia again asked her question, with the full knowledge that they lacked the proper paperwork to do anything involving Anne. Benson threatened Bradford, telling him that if he didn't give up Anne they would ruin his reputation and ensure that Bradford was disgraced and forced to give up his knighthood. Bradford asked for their paperwork allowing them to actually remove Anne on behalf of social services, forcing their hand and making the two finally call the police and claim that they were being impeded by the Smiths in their removal. Seeing as they had no reason to actually be there, Bradford told the men to leave or he would have them arrested no matter what they claimed to be doing. Hedges tried to threaten Bradford again, this time going after Elise which now prompted the hidden Ruby to step out and smile at the two. She authoritatively stated, "One, you have just written your own arrest warrants. I know everything that has gone on here and I know that you are not here with any sort of paperwork allowing the removal of Anil Patel as you are both suspended pending termination by our office. Two, you have no authorization to remove Anil at all, you are not involved with his case in any way. Three, I was just speaking with Garry Grant and he would love to know why you were there as no reports exist regarding those claims of molestation by the Smiths. I have already called the police and have a car en-route to take you in for questioning while the Metropolitan Police Service seek you for an earlier arrest warrant for your actions days ago for exactly the same actions." Benson and Hedges made a break for it and got to their car before they could be stopped by Theo and Bryan. They were long gone when the police constable arrived, telling them that there had been a report on file awaiting pickup that had Benson and Hedges going to talk with the Smiths but nothing else. He was told the truth about what was really going on then took the statements of all involved and told them to get ready for court, it wasn't over yet. After he left, Max urgently called to tell them what he had found out. There was a very big reason for the two to continue to go after Anne, they were named as executors of Anne's father's estate. It wasn't the only major thing: they all knew Anne's father and none of them would be happy about it. Out of all the possible people who could have been Anne's father, to the Smiths the man who sired her was the worst. He was a man who spent years hating everything that Anne was and represented. He would have never even looked at her mother let alone marry her making the whole situation odd. What happened to change Noah Smith? He was the spitting image of his grandfather, the notoriously bigoted Wilson Smith, and was cast out of the family due to his criminal actions toward his own cousin nearly 17 years before. The family had lost contact with him after he finished his community service sentence 16 years before and was last seen living in Essex trying to work as an online investor with only occasional forays to Greater Manchester to meet with clients there. A check of his name online showed that he had built up and eventually sold his company for a vast fortune, estimated at the time to be nearly ?200 million. He was in multiple online articles, newspaper columns, and radio shows as he spouted advice for starting small and building nest eggs. It was during this time period that he must have met and married Anne's mother, but what nobody had been able to find out was what was his connection to both Benson and Hedges. Isla immediately went online to check out the probate listings for Noah's will. It was online alright, and it listed Benson and Hedges as trustees for Anne until such time as Anne was able to lay claim to the estate and take her rightful inheritance. He specifically mentioned that Benson and Hedges were to ensure that Anne was properly cared for and if need be, unite her with her paternal family. The revelation only made things worse for Benson and Hedges as it meant that Anne had been left to be abused and neglected by her mother for years before Paige came into her life and sought help for Anne. The two as overseers were able to access small amounts of money to use to help Anne but if it was as Isla suspected, the two had defrauded Noah's estate out of a lot of money in those six years. It took all of Ruby's might to not call her bosses to have Benson and Hedges arrested for fraud, but it would not do anything as Isla assured her that they would get their just desserts in front of the justices. Paige asked if the Smiths were coming south for the court case, getting a sigh and pensive, "They must. If they don't you will lose Anne to the system regardless of Benson and Hedges going to prison. They will make a huge stink and get the public against the council which will make our department react and forced you to give up Anne to them." It was tough to hear but it was the right thing to do, they had a right to lay claim to Anne as her closest relatives. Paige and Bryan walked up to the nursery and relieved Lucy of her duties. She tried to ask what was going on, only to be told that it was something that they needed to talk to Anne about. She didn't press further, it was clear that it was going to be a tough talk and one that was private for Anne. Elise tried to leave but was held there by Anne. Paige sat next to Anne and explained, "We know who your father was and why you never had the chance to meet your paternal family. He was Bryan's 4th-cousin, making you and Elise 5th-cousins. You are a Smith by blood, a member of the branch of the family that lives in Greater Manchester in the town of Chiselworks. You have a lot of cousins and second-cousins and are even indirectly related Bryan's sister through her cousin." Anne looked up at her with tears in her eyes at hearing the big news. She somberly asked, "Will they take me away from you?" Paige had to tell her the truth, "It could happen. We know all of your aunts and uncles and they may want to take you into their home to allow you to be around your family. I just don't know. They have more of a right to raise you than we do." It was the worst thing that she could have heard. If she couldn't live with Bryan and Paige she might be forced to become a boy again. To her, that was akin to a death sentence as she could not bear to go back to acting like a boy, putting up with boys' fighting, and especially endure the boys' torment. Downstairs, Bradford's personal cell phone started to ring and the names on it caused him to sigh as he knew just what they were calling about. Matilda Smith would want to know exactly what her prodigal son had done now and why Max had been asking a lot of uncomfortable questions about Noah. It took all of his might but Bradford couldn't say anything, he handed it off to Bryan to speak. Bryan steeled himself then explained to the elder Smith, "As painful as it may be, Noah married and had a child without anyone knowing. He abandoned them soon after she was born, being duped by friends of his. She is nearly 10-years-old, smart, precocious, and beautiful. She is a Smith woman in full, she is just like your daughters and nieces. But she is also like Nichole- she is transgender." Matilda had to take a seat as the tears started to flow from her eyes as she heard Bryan's revelation. It was painful to remember Noah especially as he died so young but to know that he had brought a new life into the world and she needed their help was too much to take. She had to hand off the phone to her husband Archie to talk as she couldn't see due to the tears streaming from her eyes. Archie asked for the full story and listened carefully to Bryan. He was upset that Noah had fallen for a lie regarding his wife's fidelity so easily, especially with a child at home- but he was always gullible to vultures such as his \grandfather Wilson. He did the right thing in the end in leaving his legacy to Anne, but made a huge mistake in allowing the two to oversee it until Anne's mother could claim it for Anne. Archie asked what they were going to do and how they could help. Bryan didn't have the specifics but it was clear that they would be in court on Friday if not sooner as it would take that long for Benson and Hedges to convince someone to legally file for the removal with the two having a place lined up for when they won. Archie growled that they would be there in person, this called for the full might of the Smith family to attend and that meant all of the Chiselworks branch of the family. Matilda got the word out among her children, nieces, and nephews about Noah's scion and the trouble that she was in. She heard right away from her niece Sienna about Anne, including seeing a picture of Anne taken discretely by Nichole during her chat with Jaimie Samuels. It wasn't the best picture but there was no mistaking that Anne was a Smith by blood, she was the spitting image of her cousins and was going to be beautiful when she matured. Down in London, Clarence Harrison was awaiting word from Benson and Hedges regarding their trip to snag Anne. He spent the night on his half-brother's couch after telling him all about the new hire at the Smith estate and how they could use him to get at Anne. Harrison had given enough fuel to cause the two to go directly after Anne, with neither of them bothering to make it look official as they thought they would scare their way into getting her. Harrison was Benson's baby brother, the bastard child of their father. He grew up in the Benson home but he was treated as less than equal, whose only job would be to serve people. Benson was his worst tormentor, but the two shared a bond that caused Benson to eventually protect Harrison. His brother refused to talk about what happened but he was right about Anne being there and living as a girl. In town before they arrived the two gleaned information from the off-duty maids, who had been unknowingly telling them something that they shouldn't be telling others. Benson and Hedges were not above using their identifications to intimidate them, making them answer for fear of harming the kids. The maids were not fully forthcoming with details, they never mentioned the visit to the hospital nor the visits by Ruby, Isla, or Arthur. They had some standards and if they were there on behalf of social services then they would already know about their colleague being there. The fact that they never bothered to mention Ruby gave the maids the impression that something was off about the two and if they had told them about Ruby they might have caused something worse to happen. The maids did tell Benson and Hedges about Theo Baker, the new butler, confirming to them what Harrison had told them about Theo. Harrison was a creepy man who had painstakingly kept an eye on Theo through subtle payments to people who lived near Theo so he was well aware of Theo getting a job with the family as Theo had told another neighbor that he was leaving to head up to the Smith estate to interview for the new job that was being offered to him. He knew when Theo was driving out and had them search for information about what he would be doing for the Smiths which he then turned over to Benson. Hedges had something else going for him as Max and Ruby had suspected, he had a hacker break into the phones of Paige, Bryan, and Ruby so they could read everything that they had been sending. It was how they knew what Ruby was up to but hadn't had any idea where she was going that day. Ruby didn't tell anyone other than her parents where she was going and she did that in person, yet Benson and Hedges had managed to intercept her texts to them asking to talk about Anne and realized that she was hot on their trail making them make the move on Anne three days earlier than they wanted to. The plan had been to go after her late Friday evening when the offices and courts were closed. Her going north made them push it forward and get bold, which only served to make them sloppy as they didn't think that Ruby would go directly to the estate nor that she would be going with her brother and sister-in-law in tow. It was that lack of insight that cost them, Ruby had them banged to their rights for illegally trying to remove Anne and had them lying on tape as they threatened the Smiths with crimes they knew to be false while refusing to show any required paperwork to show they could remove her. Their boss, the frustrated Garry Grant, was caught in a bad spot as he was fighting against Ruby and her ability to make the department change while having to also support Benson and Hedges as they had so far been in the right in cases. He had records indicating that it was their colleagues, most recently Toby Ward, who was at fault in the cases where children were harmed while in social service's care. Anne was the newest in a long line of errors that Ward was the cause of, with Garry not noticing that there was a common theme among many of the errors- Benson and Hedges did most of the actual interaction with the children and were the ones who made the errors, either accidental or intentional, while those named as being at fault were only at fault on paper. After Garry got off the phone with Ruby, Ward was called into his office to speak about his most recent screw-up involving Anne. Ward knew that he was being readied for yet another dressing-down and was in the process of getting his CV in order before he was sacked by social services for gross negligence. He was only now starting to see that he was a fool to believe the lies and insinuations that Benson and Hedges had told him since he started at the office three years before. It was made worse as the duo were close to the director's secretary, Virginia Golden, meaning that anytime he needed to talk with Garry he had to talk with her. The woman was smart and always ended up revealing his concerns which the duo had then used to make it look like they were not involved in whatever he was concerned about. She covered things up most of the time, getting others blamed for it. Anne's case stood out to him though. He had spent a lot of time reviewing the information that he had been given by Benson and Hedges and couldn't fathom why neither took direct action to help Anne in the years that they knew that she was in danger. Every report showed that she was at-risk and her home life was a textbook situation that required their immediate intervention to get both mother and child help, yet they never acted on it. Ward saw Virginia had her plastic facade on full display and gave him a warm greeting that Ward knew to be totally fake and whatever she was telling you was a total lie. She was a master of a variety of false feelings of warmth and understanding while sitting by as you were raked over the coals and alerting others that you had just been disciplined. She would never tell you what to expect, you were always going in unprepared for what Garry wanted. Garry asked him to sit then told Virginia to take her lunch. She tried to refuse so Garry removed her phone making her unable to listen in. She got the message and left them to talk privately but clearly angry at having her plans for eavesdropping quashed. This greatly concerned Ward as this was a direct action taken against Virginia and if he was booting her out of the office this was too serious for anyone else to hear. Whatever he was about to tell Ward was in the strictest confidence and would mean life or death both literally and figuratively. Nobody had ever seen this reaction before, but there were rumors of it being used, back when Ruby was in foster care before she and her twin brother Max were adopted. It was no secret to those in the department that Ruby was one of the most successful placements of any social services department in England, but it came at a cost as she and Max were put through an ordeal that few would admit to but was known widely among social services as done out of retribution to the Evans family. Ward had to study the case as part of his degree and although they were not named, facts would fall into place later. He highly respected Ruby and secretly had a crush on her, she was beautiful and smart and always gave him a warm smile when they talked with one another making knowing about her past issues with the system all the more troubling to him. Garry told him to sit as he read over his files for the past month regarding a specific child. It was clear who Garry was talking about, there was only one child whom he had multiple problems with that could have resulted in the need for an examination by the director. He was thorough, asking about all of the reasons for action and inaction and what he did and didn't do. The more that he read, the more Ward realized that he was getting the full blame for what was, in reality, Benson and Hedges' actions. Ward finally dropped all formality and asked if he would need all of his personal emails and texts as he had no problem submitting them to Garry for the protection of the agency. It was akin to, "Falling on your sword" and he was fully prepared to accept the consequences as he would not hide the facts from others to protect the duo especially as he was foolishly led to inaction by Benson and Hedges. Garry didn't bother to react, only telling him that he would take everything that he had to support his actions especially emails and text messages regardless of how minute they may seem. Ward printed off everything that he had, with them showing both Benson and Hedges being directly involved in the inaction on behalf of Anne despite Ward telling them that they needed to act. He then showed an email that he had sent to Garry but never received a reply about, which caused Garry to swear and tell Ward, "The timing of that is very suspicious. Ms. Golden needs to answer as to why she felt the need to delete an important email to me especially as I would have ordered intervention a month ago as the child in the email was clearly being abused to the point that members of the school were in fear, especially one whose family could bring down the wrath of Parliament on us if need be!" Ward realized that this might have been his saving grace as he was not at fault now as he had followed all proper procedures and only one person had access to Garry's emails. Benson and Hedges were in trouble as they had been told to investigate as Ward was unable to do it due to being in the hospital with emergency appendicitis surgery and was off work for three weeks before Anne was removed. It was all on Benson and Hedges now, they were shown to have ignored a necessary removal while Golden was in trouble for deleting an emergency email to Garry resulting in Anne being physically harmed. Ward asked if he was going to be let go for this blowing up on them. Garry let him calm down before explaining, "You gave us exactly what we need to place the two under arrest for gross negligence for allowing a child to be abused. I am also asking the Met to look into the two as a criminal group as this is a bit too coordinated and targeted to be apathy. As much as I may want to sack you, you proved that it was them, not you, responsible for what happened. They have attempted to frame you for their actions, especially as they told you to be the worker on the record instead of them." He was told to speak with the Met about what happened and why and turn over copies of all evidence. Ward was unsure how to react, he came into the room thinking that he was about to be sacked but he was being retained. He wanted to go after the two even more now but had to follow his orders or else he would have legal issues of his own. Virginia Golden tried to ask what happened and why he was looked upset. Ward didn't entertain her, he simply told her that he had work to do and would be out of contact until further notice to anyone except Garry. She wasn't satisfied with his answer and tried to go at him from other angles but each time she tried he had the same answer and didn't give up any information to her. Garry had to inform the borough council that he would have to initiate a police investigation into the department for criminal negligence and child abuse. There were complaints from several of them about the cost that it would cause to the council and borough but he countered that he was following the law and doing his job and was not going to impede any of the inquiries initiated regardless of who was targeted. It was pretty clear that Benson and Hedges had a few members of the council in their pocket, it would only give fuel to the Met to take the two down. Garry called the legal advisers then detectives at the Met who were involved in Anne's case. He handed over all evidence that he had then explained the new focal point of the investigation: the unanswered email. It was corroborated to show that it was deleted before he ever saw it as he was on holiday at the time but able to email his subordinates with the time matching a time when Golden was in the office working while Garry was actually in-air flying to the US. There was little that Garry could do to help her as she was hauled in for questioning and tried to claim that it was false, but a log-in from the office in Garry's account could only have resulted in his email being deleted. It was irrefutable evidence that she had been the one to delete the email, with Benson and Hedges telling Ward to drop his investigation as Garry clearly had not responded meaning it wasn't worth it to continue with it as it wasn't worth his career. Ward wasn't happy and told them that it was going to cause harm to Anne but both Benson and Hedges said that it was not going to happen and to leave it alone from now on. Golden was unable to counter any of their questions and ended up digging herself deeper as she gave up information about Anne's case that only Benson and Hedges knew, such as her repeated beatings by the kids in the group home that were never reported or the fact that the kids in the home were never in the system and thus were living together without valid supervision with most wanted by social services. It was a tough spot for her but she didn't believe that she was in any real trouble until she told them that she was not going to continue on and if they did she would ensure that they were working overnight traffic control. Her threats were further inflated as she called one of the councilors who had threatened Garry earlier for support and got both of them put under investigation by the detectives. It was turning into a red letter day for the region as several members of the borough council were on the police's radars for corruption even before the investigation into Anne started, Benson and Hedges had given them a reason to dig into their finances that they lacked before especially with Golden's threats being taken seriously. The two were in the line of fire thanks to Max's investigation, but now it was going to be much deeper and expansive as the two could possibly be the money behind the power of the council. They were going to be sought out by the police just as soon as they returned but would be tough to contact just yet. Harrison had spent the day laying low and awaiting word from his brother. When he heard just what is going on he asked if they had gone after the fact that Anne was dressing as a girl. It was a small detail at the time and ignored by the duo in favor of going after the family via Theo's hiring but now that they were getting desperate, it was a huge bit of news. Benson and Hedges called on one of the junior social workers, Darcy Mills, and then used her to get a meeting with a judge to order the removal of Anne from the Smiths' care. They didn't have all of the details but were adamant that she was being abused and used the fact that she was dressing as a girl against them. Darcy tried to ask if they had any supporting evidence and pointed to Harrison who would give her just what she needed even if he had to make it up. It was going to take some finagling but Benson had a few strings that he could pull to get what was needed from the right people. He called his girlfriend at a hospital and asked her to look into Anne's medical records particularly recently. The inquiry took almost an hour but she found two recent visits to the doctor, one for a psychiatric evaluation and one for bruising around her genital and buttocks area. This was the information that they were looking for and would be more than enough to force a judge to remove Anne from the care of Paige and Bryan. There was a major problem though, Arthur had any attempt to remove Anne from their care flagged with a warning with the judges being asked to order an immediate hearing over the rights of Anne. The duo triggered the warning via Darcy and had an immediate desperate call from her telling them that she had to speak with Garry over the hearing. This was bad for the duo. They would have no way of getting at Anne via the courts as it wasn't their names on the removal order and they were already forced to back away from Anne due to being under investigation by Garry and the police along with their existing arrest warrants from their first encounter with Paige at the hospital. They tried to contact Golden but she kept them at a distance after she was put through the wringer by the police due to their actions and her own stupidity. The desperation took hold as the two ignored proper procedures and rush north to get at Anne directly via classic fear and intimidation as well as the police. They never bothered to check-in with their other colleagues to garner information about the couple or where Max and Ruby were but got Garry to try to get information from Ruby via contacting her directly. She didn't play her part in the game, Benson and Hedges were going in blind, without support, and facing the one person they couldn't beat: Ruby. The hearing was the next day meaning Benson and Hedges had little time to get things together before then. What they had was insufficient and how they learned about the medical issues was going to be questioned by whoever was hired by the Smiths and as there was no legal excuse for them obtaining it let alone using it there was no way they could defend it. Their colleague would put them under the spotlight as she was not one to lie nor did she have any reason to try to hide the truth, and with her job on the line, she would go after them to save herself especially as she was battling Ruby's facts. Their only hope was Harrison. He would have to lie in court to get them out of trouble, and even if it went against them it would be he who would be in legal jeopardy as he was the one lying in open court. There was little that could be done to help him, he was expendable regardless of family ties. Harrison was told to keep up the act at all costs, if he tried to blame them he would regret it. He didn't believe that Benson would go after him, but Benson had no qualms about taking out his brother by any means if it meant he stayed out of prison. His brother was stupid enough to be used, he deserved to get whatever was coming to him from the courts. The social services office was afire as Garry forced Darcy to explain just why she felt the need to seek the removal of a child from the care of two highly regarded and well-connected individuals, especially with little actual information on hand. She told the truth about everything, she admitted that Benson and Hedges had her meet with Harrison and that he told her that the child was being abused by being forced to dress as a girl. She then went further to say that the two had evidence that Anne was being physically abused and was forced to go to a psychiatrist to back up their abuse. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she knew the Smith name from somewhere else. Garry nodded, telling her firmly, "Lord and Lady Smith are the most qualified foster parents that we have ever had. They would not allow their foster child to dress as a female unless they had support to back them up. That evidence is in the form of an evaluation by a psychiatrist, one who is set to defend the child and the Smiths. Further, the Smiths have multiple people in their family who are transgender and can guide them through any issues with their foster child including their own sister." She asked about the other abuse, the bruising around the genitals. That was tough to justify but then he remembered Ruby talking about riding at the estate with the Smiths when she was younger. He smiled and pointed out, "First time riding a horse. I can only guess but the child wasn't fully stable as they rode. It happens to all of us when we first start and can be painful. I know I've had them myself." He winced as he said that but it did fit with things as it was a likely unintended injury. He knew full well of those bruises as he rode for pleasure during his holidays and had his own daughter complain about the bruising she had on her inner thighs and buttocks. He had the same happen as a child, and if not for some padding he might have had worse injuries to his privates due to slipping off his horse. It took a while to pinpoint where she went wrong in her attempt to remove Anne but with the prior actions taken by Benson and Hedges they were forced to follow through on the request and lay out what they knew and accept the admonishment of the court. The biggest issue for them was Harrison and his testimony, he was a valid witness but what he said was countered by the doctor's clearances. It was going to be a waste of time and money but they knew they would lose regardless. Garry called Ruby to tell her what the two had done and what to expect. She was ready to be the one to counter everything that the two had done and work out how the department would need to react to the incident. The worst problem would be keeping the case out of the media's spotlight, even if it was going to be fatal to their careers in their eyes and they called for their heads. Ruby talked with Garry for an hour before hanging up and telling the others about what was going on. It was going to be tough but they would endure whatever was going to happen as it was not the first time that the media had been onto the family as it was par the course for people who were rich and had a nobility title. They were ready for battle and had as much support as you could get and then some. She called her brother and got him to tell them about the situation and ask that Noah's family attend the hearing. As much as the fools had tried to hide Anne from her paternal family, they had grossly ignored that the family could easily negate whatever they were doing by laying claim to Anne as her next of kin and obtain rightful custody. Matilda Smith would have little reason or want to invoke the family's right to obtain custody of Anne but it remained an option that she would not hesitate to invoke if the judge deemed Paige and Bryan bad fits. Max was with Matilda and explained to her what was going on, why it was happening, and who was behind it. It was made even worse by the fact that the two had known about Anne and never informed the family that Noah had a child let alone was in trouble as they spoke at Noah's funeral years before. The idea both revolted her but made her grin as it was their undoing, the two thought they had thought of everything but that fact will destroy them in court no matter what. The Chiselworks Smiths were in agreement, they would all be there for the hearing. Both of Matilda's sons, her daughter, as well as all four of her brother's daughters and their husbands and wife were going. Their kids would join them but were forced to wait with her niece's mother-in- law, who was happy to help out at any point especially as she would be helping the two girls that she had heard so much about. Max was talking with Matilda but realized he had made a huge mistake: he was talking with her with the kids in the room and listening. They were already talking with their distant cousins in the US and it was making the news get around among the US Smith faction fast. It was going to be tough to keep them from rushing to England to support Paige and Bryan but it was unavoidable in their eyes. Max tried to get Nichole and her brothers Nigel Jr. and Ethan to back away but once they heard about the problems they had a plane booked with their uncle John refusing to let them pay for it. John Finn was only able to hold off BJ, Ophelia, Harry, and Lillian from trying to join them but it was going to be impossible to keep them from talking to Hannah and Pete to get their advice on the situation. John would have an even tougher time with those two, nobody could stop Hannah if she set her mind on something especially when it came to protecting her family. The Smiths went to bed early, with Max hating that he was forced to stay the night due to distance but he needed to be at the top of his game due to it being a five-hour drive. It would have taken just as long to fly and drive so there was no choice but to drive. He knew that his brother would have the judge stall as he filed multiple legal motions that needed to be reviewed by the social services representatives and the judge but were legitimate, giving them plenty of time to get to the courthouse. Across the ocean, the eldest Smith children were hard at work plotting and planning and pleading to go. Their great-aunt Valerie was fighting a smile as they tried to use every argument possible to get her to let them go with their aunts and uncles. She was just about done talking with BJ and Ophelia when she was told that Hannah was there in person and ready for a battle. Valerie stopped dead in her tracks as Hannah entered the house and living room then authoritatively told her, "They all come. I called off the rest of my tour to be there for my brother and sister-in-law and won't let my children or theirs get stuck here no matter what you say. Mom and dad are already going, as are Emma, David, Aunt Anne, Jenna, George, Miles, and Christina. It's all Smith and Connors able to go who will be going. And before you ask, the only ones not going are the kids and that's because they are staying with their grandparents. You'll be watching Miles Jr. and Violet for Miles. This is too important for any of us to stay home, but the kids don't need to know what is going on." There was no way Valerie could get Hannah to change her mind, she was pissed off and looked like she was about to fight anyone who tried to stop her. She was in full-blown mother mode, only the foolish is dumb enough to try to stop her when she is like that. Valerie could only ask, "Will you need me to find you a barrister or will you only keep this to a verbal beating instead of a literal one?" Hannah didn't humor her, instead, she told the four teenagers, "Get your things together. Your sisters need you. I talked with the school, you are excused for the rest of the week. This is too important to your sisters. They need you there in person." While the adults talked, the kids were put to bed. Anne was scared stiff as she knew that something was going on among the adults. Elise tried to calm her but it was tough to do as she knew the truth and was herself fighting the urge to go downstairs and demand answers. She did her job as cousin and helped Anne calm to the point that she had to insist that Anne cuddle with Sammi which worked but resulted in Elise having to cuddle with Anne to fall asleep as well, something that she actually loved but would never tell Anne that she liked doing. The girls slept while Lucy asked what was going on. When she heard everything that they were willing to tell her she walked off, fighting the urge to swear while getting a smile from Paige. Bryan asked what she was thinking, getting a happy, "She loves the girls. She cares about the girls like they were her own sisters. There's little doubt that our son is looking at his future wife, she's too perfect not to be." The others went to bed trying their hardest to not say something but to the elder Smiths it was obvious that Lucy was destined to marry their great-grandson. Lillian had a steady boyfriend and Ophelia had her eyes on Lillian's boyfriend's twin brother, but so far only BJ had found true love. At 16 it was tough to call it that but all of the adults could see that age was but a number to the two lovebirds especially as his parents, aunt, and uncle had found love at nearly the same age even if they knew their loved one for years before they ever started to date. The whole family slept uneasily and it took an infusion of tea to steady their nerves at breakfast. It was in complete silence as nobody wanted to say anything as their focus was on what they would do and what they would say during the hearing. The kids were focused on the reality that they could be separated shortly if they lost the hearing and social services followed through on their threats, even if it would only mean that Anne was taken in by her grandparents to keep her from a group home. Ruby, Arthur, and Isla spent the night with the Smiths and had their parents watching the Evans' kids at their home. Sir Charles and Grace would be there for support and to ensure that the situation wasn't swept under the rug by the council once it had gone against social services. It would be impossible to do so with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service ensuring that there was a full and impartial investigation undertaken, one that Sir Charles was ordering based on multiple actions before the hearing had even been considered. After breakfast, the kids rushed upstairs to change into their best dress, which had been laid out by the maids for them. The girls dressed in matching dresses by pure luck, with both in tears as they saw the other's choice. It was a sign to the adults that the two were meant to be cousins and best friends, they were too closely connected not to be. The kids' belongings were put together, with all of Anne's clothes put into the back of the Range Rover and Elise's suitcase put in Bryan's car as she would likely be going back home to the US if Anne was removed from the family. None of them wanted to think about it but it was too much of a possibility, especially as it was the family against the powerful system and being outsiders who weren't seen as real Brits despite both citizenship and titles. It was nothing new to the couple, they had far too many people who wanted to knock them down a peg just to say they embarrassed a noble. The family drove south in five cars, meeting Max and the Chiselworks branch of the Smiths outside the courthouse. Max held them back with Matilda having to fight tears as she saw her beautiful grandchild in the flesh for the first time. Anne never noticed that she was being looked over by anyone, she was too busy being distracted by Elise who led her inside alongside her new lawyer, Isla. When they were safely inside and in a private room, Isla explained to Anne, "You just passed by your grandparents, uncles, cousins, and aunts. They are here on your behalf, they will fight social services tooth and nail and ensure that you are allowed to become a girl in full. God forbid the judges decide to be stupid, your grandparents will invoke their rights as your next-of-kin and be your new guardians. We don't think that is likely to happen but your grandparents want to be here to ensure that you are alright." Elise knew who they were and gasped as she hugged Anne, calling her "cousin" and adding, "Really, you are my cousin! Aunt Paige told us already but it's really true! Your grandmother is granddaddy's third- cousin. Your daddy was mommy's 4th-cousin making you my 5th-cousin by birth. You are a Smith, a blood Smith not just an adopted one." Anne looked to Isla for help, Isla explained, "They are really your paternal family. You really are a Smith by blood. What Paige and Bryan are doing is bringing you closer to the family by adoption, but you are already part of it by birth. They are here because they want to help you. I have known them for years and even gone shopping with and on dates alongside your aunts. Your daddy wasn't known to be a nice man, but even bad men can do good things when they stop acting like children. He did that with you. You are the greatest thing to happen to him, you are his greatest treasure." Anne was now crying, she had a family no matter what happened to her. She wanted to be adopted by Paige and Bryan, but she would have a grandmother and grandfather and aunts and uncles no matter what the judges decided. She was so happy, she wasn't all alone anymore! Outside, the Smiths gathered together to brainstorm. Max provided all evidence that he had and had to fight the urge to personally arrest Benson and Hedges for their known crimes before they entered the courthouse. His anger was only rising as he saw the duo enter the courthouse and act like they had the case in the bag and they had nothing to fear from the police despite being wanted criminals, but Ruby whispered to him that they had no right to be there as they have no connection to the case no matter what they claim as her colleagues Toby Ward and Darcy Mills were the ones on record- not them. Max was put in his place by his parents arriving and telling him to calm himself and remember that he would only hurt the case if he tried to intervene early. His mother was the more level-headed of the two and saw that if they showed they were upset and ready to apprehend them, it could only serve to give the judges reason to question as to whether the Smiths were bullying social services to get what they wanted despite being the best fit for Anne. They had to bide their time, let them make mistakes first before they hit them where it hurt and hit them so often that they had no way to recover. Harrison walked past them and smirked at the Smiths. It was the worst thing that he could have done as he showed that he was involved and it immediately made the whole group laugh at the idea that he was going to, "Help" Benson and Hedges but would end up being their downfall as his statements had to have been what was used to prompt the immediate hearing. The look he gave them was one of victory and of arrogance, he was acting like he was important but was only a pawn being used by the duo. Paige mumbled a terse, "They know about the visit to the doctor yesterday. It's the only way to force an immediate hearing with that kind of removal order. Their snatch and grab didn't work but the allegation has to have been serious enough for the judges to want the evidence." Ruby shook her head while Arthur explained, "They are in trouble, they have no right to get any of that information especially since she's a minor and not under their oversight. Only Ward or Mills could have asked for it and even then they have to have had a reason. You have your way of putting them away, it's criminal and I won't let them get away with it." Max was already on the phone with someone who could do something about finding out who had accessed Anne's private medical records while Charles simply called the team looking into the duo and had more charges added onto the ones that they were already pinning onto Benson and Hedges. It was now illegally accessing medical records on top of the preexisting charges they were ready to bring against the duo. He only hoped that they didn't get foolish and reveal all to the media yet. Charles got his answer regarding the access to Anne's medical records within minutes and it was going to cost the two dearly as they not only had Hedges' girlfriend nailed for breaking the law they also had it pinned down as happening well after Ruby had cleared Paige and Bryan. The two were going to have to answer why they used illegally obtained information about a child not in their care to try to remove her when they had no involvement with the child. Their arrogance was laughable to the point of crying. The group finally stopped stalling and entered the courthouse with the Smiths taking one side of the courtroom while Benson and Hedges stood in the other. The judges entered and started to look at the case and make notes while the two groups stood awkwardly as time clicked by. It seemed like it was taking forever but it was only a few minutes with the way the whole group was feeling on edge. As they were about to start the hearing officially, two groups entered and caused Benson and Hedges to get uneasy. They recognized their boss, Garry Grant the director of Borough of Outham social services, but didn't recognize the other group of people who entered but did see that they were coming in force. The way they were acting, they were pissed off and the way they glared at Benson and Hedges showed they wanted blood. The Smiths hugged the arriving US branch then the three Connors branches with Anne Connors being the last to enter and bringing with her two uniformed men whose large sizes made Benson and Hedges become uneasy especially as they saw that the men were wearing police uniforms, albeit ones for their US counterparts. David Peterson and Miles Finn were there to support their in-laws and to present the most damaging evidence possible: the reason for Benson and Hedges' actions, thanks to the family's five accountants and a court order allowing their investigation into Anne's inheritance account. The judges saw just how large the crowd was and demanded to know just who they all were. Benson and Hedges had to introduce themselves as well as their only witness, Harrison. Arthur carefully stated, "My lords it would take too long to introduce each of them individually, but each and every one of the men and women behind me are members of my clients' immediate family. The rest are members of the child's immediate family, as in the ones who rightfully should have been contacted upon the death of one Noah Smith, father of the child at the center of today's hearing." The judges looked at Benson and Hedges for a response to which Garry smirked as they realized that they had just blundered big time in not being thorough in covering their tracks. The judges asked what Harrison's role was, to which Benson and Hedges proclaimed that he was an eyewitness to the abuse allegations against Bryan and Hannah. Arthur casually stated, "We will allow this witness to speak only as we have evidence that his testimony will impact." The judges asked Benson and Hedges to begin and saw the two laying out everything that they had to offer against Bryan and Paige while showing just how little actual evidence they really had as it was all countered by the hard evidence that Arthur possessed. Ruby had to be held firmly by Charles at times as she heard all of what Benson and Hedges were spewing. She looked over at the two and couldn't see how they had ever lasted as social workers let alone "respected" members of the department that the two had seemed to be to anyone outside the office. Toby Ward entered followed by Darcy Mills, the one who offered the initial request to remove Anne from Paige and Bryan's care. The two saw Ruby sitting with her parents and realized that they were about to get ripped apart by her brother Arthur when he put them on the stand to counter Benson and Hedges' claims and account for their decisions. They had at least one thing going for them, they were in the clear thanks to the emails and texts from the duo but it was still going to be tough for them. Benson was the most vocal in his claims while Hedges coordinated the evidence that they presented to the judges while trying to look like some of what was said wasn't fully the truth. It was clear that he was trying to act like Benson was the mastermind and going to make him take most of the fall should it backfire on the two. Hedges was no fool, he was just as smart as Benson and was used to being looked at as being the lesser of the two but in reality, he was the one who made most of the plans for them. The judges could see this subtle action and were letting the two work themselves into a corner so as to force the truth from them one way or another. It didn't take much to make them see that there was no evidence involved in anything that the two said, it was all allusions and baseless claims. The way they were working the judges over, there was a big reveal coming and the judges were ready for it. When Benson ran out of steam he had no choice but to go for the heart of the matter and claimed, "Mrs. Smith and her husband are deviants. They have dressed Anil Patel in dresses and forced him to act like he is a girl. They went to a psychiatrist to get support for their claims then sexually abused him when they got him out of London. They are a danger to Anil and belong in prison. We are hereby seeking the removal and sole custody of Anil Patel for his own safety." This was the bombshell that the judges had been waiting for, the only possible reason for them to go to the courts to get what they wanted instead of using social services directly. The judges asked for their supporting evidence and were handed the claims by Harrison then the doctor visitation statements. There was nothing in the forms that stated abuse, one was a standard evaluation and the other stated that Anil had bruising in his genital area that was explained but no mention of sexual assault. Curious as to what else they had, they called Harrison forward and had him sworn in as a witness with the duo questioning him immediately about what he saw and what he believed was going on. The two were leading him on, guiding him through the statements and giving him ideas as to what may have gone on and why, letting Harrison fill in the gaps on his own. Hannah was foaming at the mouth to rip him to shreds, everything that he said was a complete fabrication but the judges seemed to believe it. Harrison thought he did a good job of getting revenge on Bryan but it was about to all come crashing down on him. He saw Arthur get up, read over some notes, then state, "I need to retrace some facts. You said you saw the molestation yet you didn't go to the police or to the Lincolnshire social services? Why did you wait hours taking a train south to seek out your brother for help when it could have been much more rapidly given by local authorities instead of ones traveling over three hours north?" The judges saw the logic there and demanded an answer from him. Harrison tried to blame it on fear of the Smith family and the retaliation against him for knowing that he had witnessed the actions and firing him for it. Arthur pressed further but Harrison couldn't come up with a good excuse. Arthur asked how much interaction he actually had with the children before he was sacked by Bradford for insulting the children of members of the estate. Harrison tried to play it off like he was there for the entire day and saw everything but when pressed for further information his claims started to fall apart. Arthur then asked him if he still had the train ticket that had been purchased by Bradford, which he acted like wasn't a big deal and didn't matter but Arthur knew to be important. Arthur smirked, then told him, "I have the record of the ticket. You were on approach to London during the time that Ladies Ophelia and Paige were eating lunch in Boston, the maids and chef claim that you were not present during breakfast and the ladies were gone when you appeared that morning. I have the receipts for their meals and the clothes that they purchased before and after their meal. You could not have seen any of what you claimed to have seen at the times you claimed to have seen it as you were in the process of being removed from the property or in London at the time. Exactly when did it occur?" Harrison tried to make up a time, which was counted with a quick, "That's impossible as they were en-route to the estate during that time." He tried another time, only to be told, "They were already in bed. We know this as we have texts from Lord Bryan asking just where the kids were at the time and of the receipts for petrol and teat at a motorway filling station at that time." Harrison's entire claims were called into question. Bradford and Ophelia stepped forward and were sworn in to testify. Both gave exact times that Harrison was around Anne, which was the total sum of two minutes which was during their initial confrontation in the foyer directly refuting his claims. Bradford then went on to explain why Harrison was fired and when, with him verifying that he had the train ticket purchased and had Baldric, his chauffeur, drive Harrison away. He had seen little of Anne and his own words had shown that he had a strong bias against her for no reason whatsoever. It took all of his might but Bradford kept his heart rate down but he was showing signs of stress, weakening him. Arthur asked about Harrison's sources inside the house who told him about Anne's gender change. He tried to play it off as being nothing but Arthur produced multiple sheets of paper stating that they were talking about Anne's being so cute and couldn't believe how sweet she was. He tried to deny that they were his source but when compared with how little contact he actually had with Anne it was hard to deny that he was using third-hand information from the maids that was later supported by Benson and hedges seeking him out later that showed the truth about what he knew of her. Arthur went for the jugular and asked where Benson and Hedges got the medical information from as it was private medical information that Anne nor Bryan and Paige, her legal guardians, had given any sort of permission to access. The two tried to claim that they were told by Harrison but Arthur reiterated that he had claimed that he had seen the abuse, not that he had copied it from her medical records. It was tough to claim that they got medical records from him when he said something entirely different and worse, he was working against them as his claims were hard to believe due to the lack of urgency in reporting the abuses and how they had a personal relationship with him. Arthur started to ask about their past interactions with Anne. He was starting to lead the duo toward the already known lack of intervention based on Anne's own claims and then of the use of Toby as the new patsy for not removing Anne. The duo tried to claim that they were unaware of any past abuse and were caught off guard when Paige forced Cole Hill to call for help from the police and social services, with both immediately removing Anne from her mother. This was the turning point for social services as Garry officially stated, "It has come to our attention that Mr. Benson and Mr. Hedges were fully aware of the neglect and abuse performed against Anil Patel for weeks prior to being forced to act after Lady Smith and Mr. Hill called for help directly. We have email and text messages that claim they were going to act but when asked to react by their colleague they did no such thing. Further, we have located a deleted email sent to me from Mr. Toby Ward asking for the removal of Ms. Patel from her mother's care. This email was deleted by my secretary, one Ms. Virginia Golden. She has stated to police that she deleted the email under orders from Mr. Hedges as he did not want Ms. Patel to leave her mother's care yet and Mr. Benson and Mr. Hedges were awaiting a certain time when they could remove Ms. Patel and ensure that she was never located by social services." Garry produced the statement that Golden had given to police after she had been arrested for her role in the plot. She was not afraid to go after the men as they had offered her no way to defend herself and refused to pay for a solicitor to spring her from prison. It was an act of self-preservation, but it was just what was needed to directly contradict Benson and Hedges and put them up on charges. Garry read her statement fully, then had Toby get up and show the texts and emails that he had sent to Benson and Hedges claiming that Anne was in immediate danger and would remove her in short order. They tried to dissuade him, telling him that it wasn't worth his career which he backed down at. The judges asked why he did so, getting a meek, "They are my superiors. They have more experience than I have and until Anil Patel's case they had far better track records. I didn't see that they were using me to take the fall for them, but I stupidly believed that they'd destroy my career even at her expense." The judges dismissed him and reviewed the emails and texts, which painted a damning picture of the two as they were openly trying to keep Anne with her mother when all others would have removed her. Toby was trying to seek their advice but was being told one thing and being put in the line of fire by the duo. When they finally had to remove her, they told Toby to shut his trap or they'd ensure he took the fall knowing full well that he was on the hook regardless. The duo glared at Toby but it was tough to blame him for what they had done and it was exactly what they would have done to save their own skins. Toby was actually following guidelines in keeping them as he would have been in even more trouble if he had deleted them. The real reason for the two getting angry at Toby was their only means of blackmail was gone as they kept their copies and were going to use them against him to have him take the full brunt of the fall when this collapsed on them as he was the one who would have been in legal trouble, but those plans were now gone and they were in trouble. It was looking dire for the duo but it was about to get even worse for them as Darcy Mills was about to testify about her role in the removal. She was even greener than Toby but she was asking all of the right questions of Benson and Hedges and was working hard to get help for Anne, only it was in the wrong form as she took the word of Harrison and used the stolen medical information to get help without realizing that the information might not be what it appeared to be. When she was sworn in, she confessed that she wanted to appease the duo as she respected them and looked up to them for how much work they did in the office and how much they had helped children over the years. She was out in the field most of the day going from place to place checking on families and children so she didn't know just what they really did in the office or else she would never have let them manipulate her into doing their dirty work. She was actually fine with Anne being transgender and as long as she was seeking help from a qualified doctor there was no actual reason for going after Bryan and Paige for Anne's dressing as a girl. She was immediately asked about the allegations of molestation. She felt sick but confessed, "I was in disbelief but Mr. Harrison was so adamant and Mr. Hedges had the medical proof that she was being abused sexually. I don't know what was really going on to cause the bruising but it did fit the allegation as Mr. Harrison had claimed." She then realized her big mistake and asked if there were any notes attached to the file or police report as the doctor would have been required to notify them about possible abuse if they felt that the bruises had come from something other than what was claimed. She felt sick at her mistake but it was actually to her benefit as there were no notes. It was the only saving grace for her, she would be retrained and accept disciplinary action for her error but she had helped Arthur's case immensely. Ruby stepped forward and stated, "This is the actual report from the doctor who examined Anil Patel AKA Anne. She confessed to riding horses with Lady Paige and the Honorable Elise Smith, Lady Paige's niece. She was wearing a gaff, a special piece of underwear that hid her male anatomy but also caused her penis to become bruised due to friction and bumps in the terrain. It was in no way due to sexual abuse and, in fact, was common for first-time riders- especially males and girls like Anne." This was the dagger in Benson and Hedges' case. There was no way back, their lies were all exposed. None of what they had claimed had hit home. Their only hope of salvaging some face would lay in the bigotry of the judges, which could go either way. Garry stood in front of the judges and stated, "Mr. Benson and Mr. Hedges broke our own rules and did not investigate the health of four minors on the premises at the Smith estate. One is just two months younger than Ms. Patel, the other two older but still underage. It is of no coincidence that they didn't do that as all three are experienced riders with the elder two being the children of the estate's groomsman and who were alongside Ms. Patel as she rode and it was the eldest who helped her shower and dress before going to the doctor to be examined." The judges saw the wisdom of mentioning this and asked, "Is there a point?" Garry happily stated, "There was no questioning done at all, they went directly after Anne and tried to remove her without so much as any legal orders nor the knowledge of myself or Mr. Ward or Ms. Mills. Had their colleague, Ms. Ruby Evans, not been there and already examined and spoken with the children it would have resulted in the two taking Ms. Patel from her home through the help of the Lincolnshire Constabulary. Ms. Evans overruled them and contacted me directly while Mr. and Mrs. Evans prevented any further attempts to take Ms. Patel by legal means." This was the final nail in the official request. Garry then stated, "As we know the allegations to be false and made under false pretenses to a person who acted on that information without knowing the facts, we hereby withdraw our request and ask that Lord and Lady Smith be allowed to retain Ms. Patel as their foster child with the intent of adoption. We believe that actions so far have proven that they are the best fit and thus have our support. We apologize to them for our wayward social workers and will retrain Mr. Ward and Ms. Mills to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes." That was the end of social services' involvement, but the custody situation was still in jeopardy. The judges asked that Archie and Matilda come forward as they were the ones who needed to be on record to give their choice in the situation. As Anne's paternal grandparents, they had a right to take her in. Matilda stepped forward and was specifically asked what she knew about her son's life since being cast out of the family. She shed a tear and explained, "We kept tabs on Noah in so much as we had a few in the financial world keep an eye on his dealings just in case he was using our family name to gain an unfair advantage over other traders. He kept to himself and had multiple girlfriends but he stopped sleeping around 11 years ago. I believe that this coincides with his marriage to Anne's mother and from it they had Anne. Why he left her I don't know but he kept active until he died from pneumonia. He was only then brought back to us, with none of us knowing about Anne and his two friends, the same men standing over there, not telling us about Anne." She spat those last words out which prompted the judges to demand to know why Benson and Hedges failed to follow proper procedure and contact Matilda and Archie after removing Anne from her home. The two refused to answer the question but the damage was done, they put her in danger for a reason. Matilda went on to explain, "Those two are overseeing Anne's inheritance. They are only supposed to be the caretakers until such time as Anne is 18 and can look after herself. They have lived off of the fat of the estate and forced my granddaughter to live in squalor and endure constant abuse thanks to that!" She grew angrier as the words spat out. Archie had to sit her down then took over, saying, "Their actions will be dealt with by our solicitors soon, we have a crack team of accountants examining the accounts to locate all money and find how much money they have stolen from our granddaughter over the years. What matters now is the fate of our granddaughter. My wife and I have discussed this with our children and all of us are in agreement that as she has been placed with two people who are members of our family and whom she has latched onto for help and support, she should remain as their daughter. She is old enough to make a decision and she has decided to be 'The Honourable Ms. Anne Smith' alongside her future brother and sister." Matilda added, "We know and trust Lord Bryan and Lady Paige. They are good parents and as long as we are able to see our granddaughter we believe she deserves happiness and that will be found with the two. She needs them and we can't stand in the way of her happiness." The judges asked about the gender change. They held off asking about it until the Smiths had their say as they had to ask and it would matter more than anything. Benson and Hedges tried to claim that they were harming Anne but the judges shut them up fast, their roles were done. Archie turned it around and asked, "What do you know about Lord and Lady Smith's family? They are well known among the nobility for multiple reasons, this will be yet another in a long line of intrigues that they have had to happen to them. What do you actually know about them and gender changes and children, specifically ones as young as Anne?" The judges had no information at all. Archie smirked and explained, "Lady Nichole Smith, Lord Bryan's sister, is transgender and the person who brought her father and adoptive mother together. Lady Karen's family has multiple members who are transgender including the young woman who initially examined Anne and got Lord Bryan and Lady Paige to get her a proper psychiatric evaluation. Their family know gender issues inside and out and from different ages of starting their transitions including one who started at age four and has two different psychiatrists who specialize in gender issues alongside their multiple solicitors and barristers. They know the legal, moral, and medical issues involved with gender issues. They are the best possible people to help." Matilda then added, "Money is no object as the family is worth billions of pounds. There are dozens of people ready, willing, and able to help Anne from all walks of life so she will never be without care or need for medical, financial, educational, physical help. You see just a small portion of their family. This is just the direct relatives of Lord Bryan and Lady Paige, their sisters and brothers and their spouses. They have their children in a side room helping Anne cope with this hearing and offering her the love and support that she sorely needs. She has everything she could need." One by one the various Smith and Connors factions were asked who they were and what their relations were to Bryan and Paige. The Right Honorable Lady Nichole King and her husband Joshua got the most attention as she was quick to give her full name and post-nominal letters just in case there were any doubts about her, with the fact that she had a Ph.D. impressing the judges while making the others seem less by comparison. Miles Finn and David Peterson caused some unease as they were in their full Class-A Massachusetts State Police uniforms with David sporting his lieutenant bars and Miles his sergeant stripes showing that they were career police officers as well as family. The family stood firmly together and caused a big stir as Anne Connors, the young Anne's namesake and Paige's mother, happily told the judges her job, with the judges glaring at Benson and Hedges for ignoring a basic background check of their targets and who they had in their corner to support them. Anne happily stated, "I am a licensed social worker but haven't been in that role for years. I am the current head of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services which oversees all social services in the state and who has more hours investigating the safety and well-being of children than those two have combined." It was damning and went further than anyone realized as Paige would be in serious trouble with her own family if she had done what Benson and Hedges had claimed she was doing. She was vocal and not afraid to go at you for what you had done wrong. She was the third scariest among her generation, behind John and Valerie Finn in the eyes of their huge family. The elder Anne didn't need to show her beliefs as there was nothing more to say. She was ready for a fight but it wasn't needed. The Connors/Smith family was the perfect support network for a child. The judges asked to speak with the younger Anne, leading Max to get her from the side room. Anne was clutching Elise hard and refused to go without Elise, prompting Max to take her along with him while telling the other Smith and Connors children to stay put. He hoped that their close bond wasn't used against the family as Elise would explode at the judges if they said the wrong thing to Anne. The three walked into the courtroom and Elise immediately ran for her parents, crying into their chests as she wept over seeing them again. Anne quietly walked to the front and kept her eyes glued to the judges as she awaited their inquisition. It didn't matter what happened now, she had no fight left in her and in her mind, there was nothing that she could say that would change the minds of adults. Elise pulled herself together and stood by Anne in front of the judges, defying the adults who tried to pull her back and showing to them that she was all business and wouldn't be denied. The judges took notice of Elise and Anne wearing matching outfits and asked if they dressed the same on purpose. Both girls giggled at them noticing and gave quick, "It was an accident" response from them. Paige explained, "They chose their best dresses to wear from what the maids laid out for them. It was entirely their own choices. Grandmother had bought them from the same boutique and gave them to the girls but neither knew what was chosen until they stepped out of their bedrooms." The judges didn't dwell on it and asked Anne to step forward alone. She wouldn't let go of Elise's hand and stood firm with her, defying the judges and showing that she was not going to do what they said just because they said so. If she was going to lose her new parents then she was going to lose them for something else and not because she was pushed around by anyone. The act of defiance was ignored as the judges started to ask about her home life, her mother's family, her schooling, and her health before she came into Bryan and Paige's life. Anne told them everything and did not hold back on the anger and frustration as she described her mother's descent into a life of drinking and working long hours for little pay. She hated that her mother had done all of that but it was not her mother's fault as she knew that Benson and Hedges had forced them to be alone. She went at her mother's family for completely ignoring her despite knowing that she was in trouble and not even trying to help her. The judges asked how she knew who they were, getting an angry, "Mum would point them out to me and she would get angry yells from her uncles whenever we walked by their storefront. She didn't respond to them but they would always call her bad names. They were upset at her because she refused to be forced into an arranged marriage so great-grandpa sold their business making her cousins have to buy it from the new owners instead of getting half of it for free. Mum hated them for it, they'd chase us and make their wives throw things at us. They knew who I was, they said I should die because I was never going to be English like dad or Punjabi like them!" The judges asked about school and her school's reactions to her. Anne was adamant that they were the most uptight, arrogant, and rowdy group of boys and girls and no matter what she did they would find ways of using her mother's destitute state against her. She was spewing off incident after incident of the kids chasing, assaulting, and harassing her, with it only ending when they could no longer do them any longer due to her being in Paige's care. Her school life itself was asked about, with Anne painting a picture of loneliness and forced isolation due to the children forcing others to treat her poorly. Paige kept her protected in school and would eat with her, prompting the judges to ask why, with Anne to give a loving, "She wanted me to not be lonely and to have someone to talk to. She was the only one who cared about me, Elise didn't start to see how bad the kids were until they couldn't use her for getting things anymore." Elise was nodded furiously while Anne explained how greedy and underhanded the kids really were and how they turned on you as soon as you were of no use to them, making your life miserable and gave you a reputation of being a loser. She hated her school with a passion and the only saving grace to her was that Paige and Elise were there but only for as long as Elise was in Paige's care. She looked at Hannah and Pete and knew that things were about to change, she was about to lose the only friend that she had in school and would be back to how things were before. The judges chose to let it go and ask about her gender change, the one thing that they were concerned about. Anne defiantly told them, "I'm a girl! I have a willy and bollocks but I am a girl! I can't be a boy any longer, not after being a girl since coming into mum and dad's care. I can't go back, I won't go back! I would rather die than be forced to go back!" She was in tears as she said that, and the way she was shaking showed to them that she was serious about doing harm to herself to keep herself from becoming a boy again. This was not some fanciful attempt to get attention or a hasty jump to do what was needed to be taken into a loving home, this was the defiant action of a child who knew what they were and had a taste of life as their ideal vision of who they were. Anne was a female and was willing to die to stay as a female. The next questions were about Bryan and Paige. Anne didn't lie and confessed, "I haven't had much time with dad because he has to work a lot for his grandparent's estate. He was all over the place doing a lot and getting in late. Mum is what I wanted my mum to be. She loves me as myself and treats me like I am a person, not a freak who everyone has to stay away from. She was the only person who tried to help me. She made Elise see that the others were wrong and made her be my friend. She loves me. I don't want her hurt because I'm a freak. Those men were wrong to lie about her and dad. They only want me for my daddy's money. They don't care about me, mum and dad do. They don't want money, they don't need it. They love me and I love them." She was spewing heavy tears as she said that. Elise hugged her tightly and glared at the judges, daring them to say more to Anne. She couldn't continue on, she had said all that she could say. The judges went into their chambers to mull over their decision. The combined Smith and Connors group didn't leave, Isla went back to check on the other kids and saw them looking at her for word. BJ and Ophelia didn't bother asking, they left the room and went right for their parents to sit with Anne. The judges had their decisions ready but still sought to debate the issues. One was against allowing Anne to go with Paige and Bryan, another was for it out of fear of the response to their careers should they go against the Smiths. The third waited to join them, watching the family come together as one to show Anne support and reassure her that she was going to be alright. He was not deterred by the debate among his colleagues, he wanted a clear image of the family without the need for pomp and circumstance and lawyers speaking on their behalf. What he was seeing was a lot of what he wanted to see and what he was hearing wasn't a facade, it was pure family love. Anne was formally introduced to her grandparents and begged them not to take her away from Bryan and Paige. Her aunt and uncles were little better, she shied away from them and latched onto Paige so they couldn't get close to her and potentially hurt her. Their husband and wives got the same reaction, she did not want to let anyone get too close to her and make her leave with them. Elise held her in a hug and led her over to her parents and asked them why they dropped everything to come back early. Pete picked her up and gave her a big hug while Hannah did the same to Anne, with Hannah telling Elise, "I'm done with these long tours. I don't want to miss out on your life any longer. I should have refused to go on the trip and take maternity leave, my books sell themselves now and don't need constant publicity from the large chains anymore. I just can't be without you, especially since you need your mom more than I need to write." Pete hugged Anne then told Elise, "Your brother is acting up and your mom is trying to hide her being exhausted from me. I know better. She needs to take time off and be with you now. We both do." Elise was crying now and hugged Anne tightly, with Anne telling her that she got what she wanted. It was everything that Elise had hoped to have happened, she missed her parents more than she would dare to admit to anyone but Anne saw through it. The two were left to hug out their tears while their parents and grandparents waited for them to calm down enough to talk. Elise finally asked, "Can I go back home? I don't like that school. Anne is the only good thing about it. The kids are terrible and no matter what Mr. Hill tries to do they ignore him and act badly. Aunt Paige is the best teacher but the kids don't listen to her and make everyone hate her for no good reason." Hannah sighed and then explained, "It would be wrong to remove you so suddenly. If your aunt and uncle are able to keep Anne, they can't leave the country with her right away. I think it is best for you to remain at the school until the term ends in December. After that, you can transfer back to Winnisimmet and go to school with the kids you went to school with before this year." Anne looked upset so Paige explained to her, "It'll take months to get an adoption approved and then you have to go through immigration. It's a lot of work for us to do. We can't just take you, we could be accused of kidnapping. You are still in the care of social services until adopted, even if we are your permanent foster parents. They could remove you and put you elsewhere if they feel like it." Pete and Bryan were going to say something but it was right, until she was legally adopted she would be at the mercy of social services. It was devastating news to Anne but she refused to feel like they would lose her. She told them firmly, "I won't go with anyone else. I want mum and dad to be my new mummy and daddy." Anne was now crying heavily while Paige and Bryan tried to comfort her. In the back, Matilda and Archie were trying their hardest not to cry as their granddaughter had broken down and made her true feelings known to the world. It was impossible to rip her from Paige and Bryan, the two were perfect for Anne and were the only ones who could understand her. She was their flesh and blood, but she was in need of parents and even if they would only see her once a year it was better than never seeing her. The couple stepped forward and knelt in front of Anne, with Matilda explaining, "We will fight for your right to stay with Paige and Bryan all the way up to his majesty if we have to. You need parents and the two of them are the best people to raise you. We will miss you but we want you safe and happy and you won't find that here in England with foster parents or with us. You need them and they need you." She was crying now, with Anne crying as she hugged Matilda back as the little girl accept that they were happy for her. It was just what the judge needed to tell the dissenter, "We are here for the best interest of the child and the best interest is to be allowed to live and be adopted by Lord and Lady Smith. Gender change is not a disqualifying reason and there are multiple legal precedents that agree with that. They are fully aware of and prepared to accept the outcome of allowing Anil Patel to become Anne Smith. It isn't our place to force our views on children, it is our job to put them with people who can care for them and that place is with Lord and Lady Smith." It was two to one in favor of allowing Anne to remain with Paige and Bryan, it was all that was needed to ensure that Anne was going to remain with the couple for as long as she needed to be. The dissenting judge was not happy to be overruled but he kept his mouth shut as they exited the chambers and took their places in front of the assembled Smith/Connors family. The group waited with baited breath for the judges to speak and tell them the fate of Anne, with each of them hoping that it would be in Paige and Bryan's favor with Isla and Arthur ready to file an appeal should it go against them. The judge who dissented was morose as he explained, "After discussion and witnessing acts of familial love it is the belief that in the best interest of Anil Patel that he be placed in the care of Lord Bryan and Lady Paige Smith." He didn't say anything more as his true face showed he was anything but happy to make that announcement. He didn't have to say more, his colleague stated, "It is of the belief of my colleague and myself that Anil Patel be adopted by Lord and Lady Smith and Anil shall be renamed as Anne Hannah Smith. As it is in the interest of the child, adoption is hereby ordered based on a clear history of knowing firsthand Anne's struggles, having a strong support network, and the ability to afford to raise Anne without financial support." The judge who spoke was the one who observed the family unfiltered. He signed the official adoption forms and had Isla and Arthur handle things from there as they would deal with the government agency that would issue Anne's new passport and update her official records. The two just nodded and let it go, this would happen that afternoon when the kids were resting after their tiresome ordeal. It took a bit of time but Anne was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. She was really Anne Smith, the daughter of Bryan and Paige. She had grandparents and great-grandparents and cousins and siblings, she had in one minute gone from being alone in the world to being part of a vast family. Elise hugged her tightly and called her "cousin" while BJ lifted her up and kissed her cheek. Ophelia took over for him when he started to get misty, knowing that he would start to cry and cause cracks in his masculine facade that he barely kept up. She kissed Anne and called her "little sister," giving her a special gift that warmed Anne's heart and made her feel like she was really part of the family now. The kids walked Anne to where the other Smith and Connors were, with Anne crying into Matilda's shoulder as she called her "grandmum." She did the same to Archie, calling him "grandpa" and hugging him while barely keeping from crying again. The family left the courtroom as one, with Anne holding her new parent's hands as they exited. They immediately went to the Smith family townhouse for a small celebration and to give the kids a much-needed nap. They fought their naps but with the combination of adrenaline wearing off and an early start for the Chiselworks Smiths they were out cold within minutes. Elise and Anne were cuddled together in bed with their 5th-cousins all laying down around them on the floor or in the adjacent room giving their parents images that would last a lifetime. The Smiths were gathered in the dining room as the family made a call to the US to let the US family members know what was going on. Valerie Finn answered, and she wasn't alone as she had the legal arm of the, "Finn Family" with her. She saw the assembled group and immediately asked, "Is it done?" Bryan showed the paperwork and proclaimed, "They were beaten so badly they never had the chance to run away. Harrison, Benson, and Hedges were last seen in handcuffs as Sir Charles placed them into custody to prevent them from fleeing the country with whatever money they had squirreled away. The judges were forced to see that we were the best interest of Anne and one went further and finalized her adoption and name change so she is our daughter in full. You now have another great- niece to spoil." Valerie nodded to someone off to the side of her, who then started texting furiously to alert the rest of the family that Anne was not leaving the family. Bryan told them to start getting paperwork in order for Anne to immigrate to the US with them as she couldn't remain there much longer. Once the fall term ended in December she would be immediately moved to the US to live with them and start school alongside Elise as the school's newest student. Valerie was all smiles at hearing that, with her happily telling them to go to the embassy the next day and file the paperwork and if they had to they would have an immigration judge grant force the case to go forward without the bias. Anne had a right to go immediately but they were going to play it by the numbers and do it the right way. The family was high- profile and would be under scrutiny, they were not about to give someone reason to attack them if they exploited loopholes others couldn't. The others didn't say anything, but the mothers among them were happy to see the change in Paige as she looked calmer and happier while Bryan was stoic but had a look of content. The family signed off and Valerie told the couple to tell the four twins that they were expected in school the following day which was the sign that things were going back to normal and had been taken care of by her husband so they didn't get penalized for missing school that day. The US group waited for the kids to start stirring before giving them hugs and kisses while Anne Connors gave her namesake and new granddaughter a big kiss and told her that she couldn't wait to show her to the family in December. The kids were happy to get ready to go but were first fed. The Chiselworks contingent was happy to enjoy the takeaway from a nearby Indian fast food shop but Hannah and Bryan cringed at it. Anne just dug into the food and happily ate it, the stuff she was used to was garbage compared to what she was eating then and she loved the look of her mother's face as the two enjoyed the food together. Bryan and Hannah both told Pete, "Don't even think about it" to which he told Anne, "They are just upset that whenever someone enjoys chicken curry they get queasy." Anne asked why, to which Paige snorted and Pete shot back, "They made jokes about the food the first time they came to England and had to eat it out of punishment. They are the only ones who dislike it. It's not even spicy, Gruncle Jorge eats the super spicy ones and got Uncle John to try it, when he liked it they both got sick to their stomachs and refused to eat any of his food for a month. They haven't been able to live it down, it's still funny." Anne smiled at hearing that while Hannah and Bryan couldn't hold up the angry act much longer and gave her hugs for being a good sport. She then confessed, "Mum tried to make this a few times and it was bad. She hated to make it but it was cheap and easy to make and it lasted a few days. She used her mother's recipe and said it was just like home but I didn't like it." Hannah started to feel weird and gasped as she felt her legs get wet and blushed as the others realized what was happening. Hannah looked at Pete who was in a panic and rushing to get her bag so they could rush to their London doctor to deliver their new son. The other Smiths were in a panic but got themselves together as the twins got the Chiselworks kids together to go home while the Connors got their belongings together to head to their plane. Anne Connors took control of the US group and told Harry and Lillian to stay put, they needed to keep an eye on Elise for their parents. The twins were already texting away to let their US relatives know what was going on and had to field calls immediately from Valerie and the others who were home. It was a tough situation but they coordinated notifications and calls before they all left for the hospital. Hannah was smart in arranging for a doctor in London just in case her new son decided to join the family before they were ready to go to the US. Her doctor saw he notes on her most recent checkup and had her penciled in just in case she needed him. He was right, her son wanted out the next day. The Connors left the group with hugs and kisses as the Smiths drove on to the hospital. Miles was done with his role in the investigation and turned over all notes that he had so he ensured that the family in the US calmed down. If he was telling them everything was fine then there was no need to worry. The group flew home and were met by the youngest family members but were upset that the four teens were still in the UK. Miles just grinned and wouldn't say anything more but it was clear that it was for a good reason and best to not say anything more. There was little word for much of the day so all of the assembled family were waiting with baited breath for word, eager to hear good news. Over at the hospital, the younger Anne had to calm Elise as she realized that she was really about to be a big sister to her baby brother. She looked over at her siblings and smiled, it must have been like this when she was born. She then realized that they didn't feel this way as it came not long after her aunt had lost her baby girl due to her car accident making her birth a somber affair for them. The large group caught the hospital staff on edge and ready to call security for help but Nigel Smith and Emma Peterson, nurses by trade, were able to talk with them and get them to see that there was nothing wrong and the group was there as support for the young Elise. They were all directly related to the expecting couple so it was within reason to allow them to stay, especially as it was four generations of family in attendance for the birth which was a rare fete for the hospital. It also helped matters that they were a very rich family and the mother-to-be was a large donor to their very hospital, not that she wanted anyone to know that but she had given several million pounds in donations to them before. The delivery took several hours, with Elise and Anne hugging and trying their best to take their mind off of things. Lillian showed Anne pictures of all of their extended family, especially the ones who traveled or who were working hard and rarely around the family. Hearing how many jobs the family had made her smile, the family was big and did a lot of great things for the world. After three tense hours of labor, young Pierre Maxwell Smith was born. Hannah was crying as she saw how much he looked like his father, with Elise saying he looked like "mini-daddy." The twins and Elise got into a picture with the happy couple and Pierre, with the ensuing texts to the family causing a flurry of calls from all of their extended family. Anne, BJ, and Ophelia were shown inside and Anne immediately stuck close to Ophelia so she didn't get too close to Pierre lest she cause Hannah to drop the precious baby boy. Paige took pictures of the trio with Pierre and got happy responses from the family especially as Anne looked so happy in them. It warmed her heart to know that her family was so accepting of Anne, especially as she looked so much like part of the family already that it was hard not to see her as their newest cousin. The group was eventually kicked out so Hannah and Pierre could get some rest, but did ensure that the proper people at her management firm and publishing house knew about the birth so they could let the press know just why she had to cancel her appearances. It was a coincidence that Pierre was born but it turned into a good reason to keep the press away from Hannah. There was no reason to look into her being in the UK now, especially as she had a good reason for being there in the first place. The family went to bed with smiles on their faces, with Elise and Anne sharing a room while the two sets of twins stayed in their old rooms in the townhouse. In the morning, the four teens visited Pierre again before being driven to the airport by Bryan so they could fly back to the US where Valerie was waiting to hear more news. They kept quiet about things but were clearly happy to know that the baby was doing well and Hannah was feeling better after the tiring delivery. Anne was asked about, with all four telling their impressions of her. Valerie read between the lines and smiled, she was doing wonders for Elise. The four were happy that Elise was not acting anything like the brat that she used to be, Anne had broken her shell and made the good little girl shine through. In London, Karen and Nigel Smith gave their daughter a parting kiss and hug as they bid her goodbye. They were going to put in paperwork so that Nigel could retire from his job and take up his birthright as the new head of the family's estate. He had pushed hard to not do that but the time had come for him to take over from his father and allow his son and son-in-law to live their own lives. Karen had a tougher job in retiring as she had to have her partners buy her out, which wasn't an easy task. They were happy to do so, with her nephew Michael Finn taking over her old duties and working with their younger stockbrokers and investors. She loved her job, but family mattered more and she was more than happy to help her in-laws in their waning months of life. Hannah and Pierre left the following day, after both were checked out and given the all clear. He was on the small side but he had no internal troubles and was putting on weight. He was quiet as well, and not afraid to sleep when he was the center of attention for everyone. Paige and Bryan tried to keep the girls' minds occupied and took them around London while Hannah and Pete got Pierre situated at home. They swam in the pool and played in the playroom but it was a trip to a concert being performed by a famous singer that caused them the biggest bit of excitement that week. Elise had totally forgotten that they were supposed to go to the concert when they got back from the US but it was easily understood why she had forgotten especially with the excitement so far. Paige had to explain to Anne, "You are about to meet a famous singer. She has known us for 12 years and has been one of the few in our large family to keep mostly apart from us. She's actually your aunt Melinda's cousin Tabby Jones' close friend, Anita Dupree. You might have heard of her stage name- Anita Love. She and Tabby work on everything together, only she and our cousin Trinity Eliza can get Anita to make sense of a lot of her songs. She would have come to court to help us but we asked her to stay away so the media didn't try to sniff around you. She's a great person and loves making us laugh so expect her to crack jokes. She will treat you like a princess as you enjoy the show, especially as you are so much like her when she was your age." The trip to the arena was quick, especially as they had VIP parking and knew the route well. Anne was astounded to see the large crowd, especially the younger kids. They were taken inside by security and brought to a dressing room, where Paige and Bryan hugged several people before going inside another larger, more decorated room complete with huge makeup table and multiple dresses and costumes. It was like a dream for Anne, she loved the style of the clothes while Elise pointed out all the makeup scattered across the table. Before Anne could even say something, they heard a woman say, "I told you before, you can wear my makeup when you get older. You are just too pretty to mess up your face with the stuff I have to put on just to make me stand out from the crowds." Elise hugged the woman then told Anne, "This is Aunt Anita. She's Aunt Tabby's friend." Anita quickly added, "I'm your Aunt Trinity's friend too, or do you keep forgetting that she's the one who wrote the music that Tabby combined with her lyrics to give me my wonderful songs? I wouldn't have a career without the two of them but you know how Trinity is- all medicine, all of the time. She's going to be a great doctor but man she can make amazing music whenever she wants to! I swear we need to get that woman into the studio sometime, she has 'Grammy Award Winner' written all over her. Well, winner in her own rite since she already won a few with Tabby and me!" Anne was overwhelmed but was happy that she was being treated nicely by everyone that her mom and dad were introducing her to. Anita was by far the most interesting, but she hadn't met all of the family. They were purposely keeping introductions to a trickle so she didn't get overwhelmed. Anita took them out to where they could enjoy the show and would often smile at them as she sang. It was a fun night, complete with the girls dancing along to the music as Anne recognized some of the songs that were being sung. Anne couldn't believe that she was in such a place and enjoying herself, but her parents smiled and nodded that it was all real. After the show, Anita told Anne how she came to meet the family and why they were so important to her. Anne looked up at her parents who smiled at some of the memories, especially Anita practically begging Tabby to help her and going out of her way to show that she was worthy of Tabby's lyrics but having already won over Tabby just by being herself. Anita was happy to tout Trinity working with the two of them to the point that she was actually the one who put together Anita's first album while having herself kept out of the spotlight by using a fake name for the official album notes and donated her share of the profits from sales to charity to keep hidden. They lasted an hour before Paige had to call it quits, but saw the duo taking a bunch of photographs with Anita and her background singers and dancers. Anita told Anne that she was a great girl and had already changed her mum for the better even if Paige would never agree. If felt great to hear someone say that, Anne could see that Paige was a whole new person now and loved her deeply for it. The kids were exhausted when the car pulled into the house and both were asleep in minutes. Again, they were cuddled together and hugging Sammi the Cabbit while sporting matching smiles on their faces. Pierre had allowed Hannah a chance to relax and seeing the girls asleep made her shed a tear as Elise was being so affectionate and caring without realizing it, just simply by sharing Sammi. The rest of the weekend was quick as the girls got to help feed, bath, and clothe little Pierre while also enduring calls from their relatives, most of whom wanted progress reports on Pierre. The girls were able to give Hannah and Pete a break as Paige and Bryan took over caring for Pierre so the couple could enjoy a rest and spend time with their new niece. They simply walked around a nearby park, getting to learn about the inner Anne that only a select few had gotten to know so far. Hannah then took them shopping for Anne's own school uniform, with Anne happily telling her that she wanted to wear the skirts instead of the girls' trousers. She refused to even look at trousers, her heart was set on wearing a skirt and showing how much of a girl she really was and leaving nothing to the imagination that she was all girl. Hannah looked at Pete who rolled his eyes and complained to Anne, "You just gave your aunt something she never had before- a girly-girl moment. Lillian and Elise always fight her over them not wearing skirts and dresses but you are fighting to wear them. Congratulations, you have just out-girled your cousins." Anne looked up at Hannah who smiled and nodded while Elise groaned and told her, "I let Aunt Paige get me skirts and dresses before school!" Hannah countered, "You had no choice in the matter since you had to wear uniforms in school here. Back in Winnisimmet you never had to wear them, you refused to even look at a skirt and only wore dresses when we had to go to formal events." It was touching to know that she was so different than her cousins without knowing and fun to Anne was able to be so different yet alike to Elise, Pete had a big smile as mother and daughter were acting alike to the point that he saw how much Hannah and Elise resembled one another in more than just looks. Anne was all too happy to try on her clothes and with Elise's help, learned how to tie her new tie so she was ready for school the next day. Back at home, Anne and Elise tried on their new outfits and showed Paige how they looked. Anne was enjoying her spotlight and gave Paige another bit of mothering that she had missed since Ophelia grew too old to need her help shopping. It was great fun and Anne was ecstatic at showing her mom how she looked in everything, especially her new school uniform. Things wound down as the kids ate dinner then went to bed. Anne was scared about the next day but Elise kept her from going overboard, she would have her to help. Come hell or high water, Anne was going to be alright and would have Elise doing whatever it took to keep her safe.