Family Found Part 4- Finale free porn video

The kids were told to put away their things and get ready for lunch. Both were unsure what to do as the two didn't want to go into the wrong room especially as the twins were going to move in over the weekend. Paige led them up to the rooms and told them either of the smaller rooms was fine. Anne chose the room off front porch while Hugh chose the one overlooking the backyard, she liked the early morning sunlight while he liked the trees and shade. As they were putting away their clothes, both were startled by the sound of the twins coming inside demanding their parents. Anne went rushing out to see BJ and Ophelia while Hugh shied away to let the siblings get their affections out of the way. Ophelia wasn't about to let him get away easily and gave him a big hug and kiss on his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on it causing Anne to snicker at him. The twins were asked if they had their homework done, getting a glare from the two followed by, "We did it already. There wasn't much to do, you know already why there wasn't much." Bryan shook his head at the four teachers purposely making their day easier, especially their gruncle John. The twins asked if they were going shopping, getting a swift, "We have to, there's no food here and the kids will need something to eat shortly." Paige told the two to try to nap for a bit while they sorted out a shopping list, leading to the two going upstairs and Hugh getting an odd look over not fighting being told to do something a little kid would be told to do. He didn't mind, he was falling asleep anyway. When the kids were down, the twins told their parents about the plans for the next four days and how much time they weren't going to spend with their new sister. It was understood, they needed to do a lot of things for Anne and the two had homework and plans with friends to take care of. They would be back at home that Saturday, there was no way they would stay away any longer than they had to. The twins talked with their parents for an hour before it was time to wake the two up. Hugh grumbled about having to get up while Anne was recharged. Hugh was more tired than he let on and was clearly not at full strength but they couldn't leave him home alone so he had to reluctantly come along. They had an issue though, they didn't have a car there. Their old car was still in Bradford but that was solved by BJ telling them that it was en-route to the house thanks to their cousins. That meant that they were about to get a forced meeting with Bryan's cousins, specifically Miles and Michael Finn. The two arrived and happily turned over the minivan to Bryan, with Michael joking, "Did they have a two for one sale on kids?" Hugh was ready to defend himself but Bryan shot back, "Keep it up and I'll have Rachel have a little 'fun' with your computer again...how does cute pink cabbits dancing across the desktop sound? She has been dying to try her newest program on you guys." Miles didn't say anything but did hug his new niece and told Michael, "He's another Sydney. Give him a bit of time and he might write the hottest game for the ZBox or newest AppleSoft operating system. His sisters are little pests, Max told me about some of the things they pulled on him that nobody else knows about especially their parents. Leave him alone, he is likely to snap soon if you keep it up." Hugh didn't respond to that, he was still ready to fight to protect himself. Michael could see by how he was standing that he was used to fighting making Miles' statement sink in. He trusted Max's assessment but he wasn't happy to get put on the spot like that by his brother. The two left in Miles' car with Anne asking what that was about. Paige explained, "We know a girl who was like Hugh. She is incredibly smart and successful. She's also like you so she will be stopping by if her kids can give her a chance to get out of the house. She really wants to help Hugh deal with being a child prodigy, but helping a girl get off on the right foot is even better." The couple got the kids into the car and drove on to the supermarket to get the shopping done, with the two being asked what they liked to eat so they could make it for them. Anne wasn't sure while Hugh gave them a reluctant, "Anything but mushy peas and mushrooms. I hate those." Anne nodded furiously while Bryan added, "Trust us, nobody in the family likes them." The two got the usual kid-friendly food while telling them that they'd ease them into eating American favorites that are not regularly eaten in the UK. Bryan then added, "We will try to make curry and chicken tikka masala for you two. It'll be a change from the normal burgers, pizza, pasta, and meatloaf that the twins eat. It'll also give them something to hang over Hannah's head since she won't even look at those anymore." The two liked the idea of pizza, which only served to cause the couple to go to the in-store shop to get a large pizza for the four of them. They then went and got snacks, with the kids being told that the snacks were not to be eaten right away. They were just happy to get things that looked interesting and were an easy thing to enjoy even if they wouldn't admit to liking them. Back at the house, the couple had to hold off the neighbor's grandchildren but it was tough as the young kids saw a chance to play with new people. Anne reluctantly played with the rambunctious Sylvester kids as they wouldn't let their new 2nd-cousin get away from them easily. Hugh was given a pass by them, they didn't want to play with the older boy nor did they want to upset him by forcing him to do what he didn't want to do even if they meant well. The kids played for an hour before hunger overtook Anne forcing the kids to seek out their parents and allowing Anne her needed meal. Anne dug in and loved it, she was used to cheap pizzas that the school served as well as the stuff she could slap together at home when her birth mother was either unable or unwilling to cook her a meal. It tasted great, even if it was considered, "Terrible" by pizza snobs. Hugh didn't care about the food, he ate it without making any reaction and was fine with how it tasted and loved that his sisters would have scoffed at him eating something so greasy and messy. Anne tried her hardest not to get anything on her clothes while Hugh didn't care, it didn't matter to him anymore. The fact that he could accidentally make a mess and then not get humiliated gave him a strong sense of pride, he was no longer fearing anyone's reactions and could be himself without fear of retribution. When the kids finished, Paige asked Hugh to come next door with her. He reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was important or else she wouldn't ask it of him. She sensed that he a little timid so told him it was important and that it was best to get it out of the way that afternoon. They were greeted at the door by several women, with Hugh feeling awkward as his hormones were in overdrive. The ladies had to fight grins while the little kids giggled at his reaction. Paige led him inside and told the kids that they better have their homework done, prompting them to quickly rush off and finish the work that they had clearly not finished. In the dining room, Paige introduced Reyna and Rachel Sylvester alongside Reyna's parents Cameron and Lupe Byrne Toro. Hugh asked if she was the Rachel that he was supposed to mentor him in college which got a happy, "Yes" from Paige and smirk from Reyna. Rachel looked him over and just smiled at seeing that he was going to be a good student if he could get his head out of the clouds and not let his hormones run wild, a tough task for a 13-year-old boy. The ladies asked what he knew and when he learned it. Hugh told how he found books online that taught you to code then started fooling around on training websites before understanding the codes well enough to try writing and rewriting his own codes. It was a lot like how Rachel learned to do coding when she was his age, only he didn't have the luxury of parents who encouraged his behavior even if her birth parents did so for selfish reasons. Rachel asked about the coders and hackers he corresponded with online and whether he was willing to give up talking to them for his own sake. Hugh had to think about that but then remembered that they were all going to prison for what the had done to the BBC website. He looked around at Rachel then at Paige and confessed, "They were going to use me as a patsy, weren't they? They were going to use me to make it look like I was the one who was doing the damage." Rachel smiled at hearing that, then asked again, "Are you through with your little curiosity quests?" He nodded silently, trying not to show shame over being used by others. Rachel looked at Paige who told her to tell him her story, so Rachel added, "I know the feeling. It'll go away once you show that you are not that person. They have done that before to other script kiddies, you backed out just in time and may be the key to all of their plans falling through- no patsy meant they were fighting one another to not get caught by the police leading to them actually getting caught in the act." Paige asked if Rachel was satisfied with Hugh, getting a swift, "He has a lot of potentials and has a huge upside to what he can do for himself and others. He just needs to be shown the right path. He can be a great programmer and examiner, he just needs guidance." This was all that they needed so the duo left. Hugh asked what that was really about, getting a soft, "The school wanted to ensure that you really were trying to learn and not escaping justice. They don't want to teach you to hack, they want to teach you to be a better programmer and help others. Rachel is one of their best graduates, but she could just as easily gone to the Darkside. Her story is even worse than what your so-called 'friends' would do, she actually could have allowed others to die. She chose to be a good person and fight back, even if it cost her everything. She came out stronger and with more support than any person could get- friends, family, and eventually a girlfriend." Hugh understood why they were doing it and was happy to know that he wasn't being singled out. If she was going to risk her own reputation for his sake he had no intention of disappointing her. It helped that he had a crush on her, even if he would never admit to it. He was told that he should go to bed as jet lag would catch up to him. He was running on pure anxiety-fueled adrenaline and would crash soon if he didn't go to sleep. He didn't fight her, but first, he did send off an email to his parents to show that he was OK and had met with Rachel and her wife. In the morning, Paige got the kids up and was met by complaints from the tired Hugh. Anne was little better, she was exhausted from being run ragged by the kids while also feeling the effects of realizing that she was about to get registered for school. She hid her anxiety, but it was tough not to see that she was fighting her fears over her new principal and teacher. The kids ate in silence while Bryan was forced to sit down and eat as well before he left to check on their Bradford house. Hugh asked to go with Bryan but was stopped by Paige, it would cause way too many questions from the nosy neighbors and he had a meeting with his university after lunch. He was forced to back off, but there was a clear disappointment in his voice. Bryan left once he had eaten enough to satisfy Paige, but hugged the kids first and kissed Anne's cheek making her smile and kiss him back. Hugh didn't say anything about the hug, it was just fine with him but he drew the line at getting kissed by anyone. Kisses were too, "Unmanly" especially from a guy, he didn't want to appear any less masculine even if Paige and Bryan didn't care about masculinity in him. Hugh noticed that they had no car to get where they needed to go and asked about that. Paige grinned and happily explained to him, "Hannah is driving. She still had her minivan here and has enough space in it for all six of us. I'm sure that you don't mind being driven as I don't think you are quite ready yet for walking or taking the bus, especially since it's a real eye-opener for out of towners." Hannah arrived but didn't get out of the minivan, instead, Elise ran inside to get the trio. Paige took her time getting the paperwork together which only caused the anxious Elise to complain about her taking too long. She hated to delay things, she was impatient to the point of pulling you- just like her mother. Paige smirked as she got the files she needed then locked the door. Hugh was sitting in the middle and looking perplexed as Anne and Elise squished in next to Pierre's car seat. He was going to ask about that to which Hannah explained, "It was easier to let them calm down and keep him quiet. They have a bottle ready just in case but he should be out for a while." Hannah drove on to city hall and re-registered Elise while Paige registered Anne. They were met by a big smile as they got special treatment by the staff, with the secretary not even flinching at seeing Anne was transgender and stating for the record that she was attending school as a girl. It helped greatly that Paige's great-uncle was a city councilor and had multiple relatives who were teachers and not afraid to take you to task for violating the rights of a student. Hugh was given an odd look and questioned about whether he was being signed up for school. Hannah explained firmly, "He legally finished with school and is going to be officially offered a place in MIT by the school this afternoon. Before you ask, he is too intelligent for school- he's a certified genius." There was no way to argue against that as it was clear that he wouldn't be allowed to forgo school if he didn't already have something else lined up. The group walked out and drove on to the city's elementary school complex with Elise telling the two that it looks big but it's not that bit. It really was big, but it is a combination of four schools in one complex making it closer to what they were used to in England. Anne started to get scared as she saw kids milling about, going between classes to music, the gym, and to the computer lab. Elise had her arm around her to assure her that it was going to be alright, but it was a tough situation due to Anne's horrible school experiences. Elise would be by her side and give her all the support she needed, especially as they were going to be put in the same class at their own request. The ladies led the kids to the main office of one of the schools and were immediately greeted by the secretary. Hannah grinned and happily proclaimed, "My brother and sister-in-law have seen fit to bring home a souvenir from their stay in England. Sadly, she has had a rough go for a lot of reasons but she is the perfect person to make this little pest pay attention in class now." Elise glared at her mother while the secretary tried hard not to laugh at the little teasing. She asked for the paperwork and gave Elise's paperwork a cursory glance while reading Anne's over several times. She was about to ask if they had everything in order but was stopped by a quick, "I would have thought you two would have signed Anne up yesterday after my meeting finished." Anne looked over and saw a woman in her late 50s standing in the doorway of an inner office. Hannah tried to say something but Paige explained, "We had to go food shopping first then had to take care of another issue after that. You would have been long gone yesterday so it was easier to do it today." Paige hugged the woman then explained to Anne, "This is your new principal, our aunt Yvette King. She is a lot like Mr. Hill but without the parents and council trying to force their views. She has known your grandmother Karen since they were little kids, but she doesn't let anyone get away with being bad." Anne said a meek, "Hello" but still stood beside Elise. Yvette hugged Anne then added, "It's alright. You will be in Elise's class and your teacher knows to expect you tomorrow." Looking at the time, Yvette suggested that they visit their new class as they could be told about Anne's situation then let lunch settle them down. Yvette walked them upstairs to a 4th-grade classroom then asked to speak with the teacher, Marion Morrison, while telling the kids to settle down for a few minutes. Anne was a bit scared but Elise's smile told her that it will be alright if she kept calm. Ms. Morrison looked over Elise then at Anne and asked what was going on. Yvette explained to her, "Elise and Anne Smith will be attending school starting tomorrow. I am assigning them to your class as Elise knows most of the students already and they have shown to be the strongest academically. Anne has one issue that needs to be addressed, she is transgender and under the care of a psychiatrist. She has our full backing as well as the union's backing. I don't need to explain how she is connected to all but it would be tough to continue on if you upset both Elizas, Finn, Stoner, Carter, both Hermans, Peterson, Bollinger, both Taylors and Bollinger, along with my husband and myself. That's not even considering our beloved superintendent and her brother. And that's just the ones who are close to them by family. That also isn't even considering that she is the daughter of a union employee, albeit one who is not employed at this time. She is a good student, she just needs a chance to show her worth to the world." Anne was looked over while Elise waited for her to say something. Yvette led them inside and told the class, "Tomorrow you will have two new students joining you. Elise Smith and her cousin Anne Smith are joining your class after spending some time in the UK. Many of you know Elise already but Anne is new to our country so please give her the benefit of the doubt in her word usage and spelling. There is one other concern, Anne is transitioning from a boy to a girl so she will use a separate restroom. You are all aware of the school rules so if any of you try to bully Anne you will be expelled. There is no excuse, we don't take bullying on the basis of gender change lightly. Anne's family wrote the book on rules regarding treatment of kids changing gender- literally. Please be respectful and know that she has a lot of powerful people backing her." Anne said a meek, "Hello" which got the kids asking if she was British and if she was a noble and other things like that. Elise giggled and told them, "She's like me, her older brother is going to be a noble but that won't be for a long time. We are officially 'the right honorable' but over here we are just normal. We are back because her old school sucked, you guys are a lot better than those stuck up brats. They make the idiots from Pullen Point look like nice kids by comparison." Elise's harsh criticism was met with laughter while Anne furiously nodded. Elise smiled at her former friends, ones who she had to say goodbye to four months before. They knew that she was now back and she fully expected them to come over to play with her again, especially if they took to Anne. The two were led outside with Anne smiling as Elise whispered, "They are OK with you, but the boys are going to be boys and probably pull your hair or act weird around you because it's what they always do." Both Hannah and Paige had to fight giggles while Yvette complained, "She's definitely your little girl. I swear you had her just so you could see what it was like when you were a little girl. It's the same thing that your grandmother said to us when you were in school, 'like mother, like daughter'.'" The group walked out to the car and drove on to a restaurant for lunch. Hugh didn't say anything about the food, it was normal takeaway food but with an American twist. Elise explained that it tasted better than it looked, especially the chicken nuggets. Lunch was faster than Hugh wanted and saw them driving to Cambridge to meet with representatives of the university as well as Hugh's sponsors and future mentors. He was met by a group of adults who were looking him over intently and trying to assess him just from his reactions. He kept quiet but it was clear that they were thinking that he wasn't their kind of person without actually talking to him. There was little talk as the officials read over the recommendations. Rachel's support was key but so was support from others who had met him. Surprisingly, he had UK support that he never knew about. The wait was tense and nerve-wracking but Hugh held strong. He got up and left, it was a waste of time to bother them. He knew the look when he saw it, they wanted to exploit him but he wasn't going to be used by them the way they wanted so they had no interest in him anymore now that others had set their sights on helping him learn rather than using him for monetary gain. Paige got up alongside him, while Hannah calmly told the gathered officials that they'll have to explain to her cousin and several others why they broke the heart of a 13-year-old boy who came all the way to the US to study at their school at their insistence but disregarded him when he wasn't worth it to them. She happily added, "The Peterson Institute will likely work with another school as the head of the charity is directly related to him. He is a Smith by blood, but her 4th- cousin's son." Hannah happily called her sister Emma and explained what happened and why with Emma calling the school to seek an explanation for why they committed their actions against her relative especially as he was an invited guest and his acceptance was already approved by the head of the computer sciences department. She didn't let them get away, she demanded an answer. Emma held the purse strings of a billion dollar endowment that was the culmination of contributions from her entire family with the Peterson name being at the forefront instead of the Finn name due to it being more well known and it attracted a lot less vultures from exploiting the charity. In the car, Paige had to find an alternative for Hugh or else he would have to return to the UK and face both disgrace and humiliation. She found one from a friend who was employed at UMass who had a lot of sway at the school thanks to her family being longtime donors to the school's major programs. Hugh was the perfect candidate for her support, especially as he was going to great heights as a student if he had a proper support network that only a school could give. The group drove on to UMass and were met by the heads of the computer sciences department as well as the university's legal representatives. The only real issue was who would keep an eye on Hugh and how would he get to and from the school. Hannah happily stated, "My brother is a student here, he will be able to take Hugh. He shouldn't have any problems with Hugh, the only trouble is if you try to use him the same way everyone else has. He isn't a token student, he is here to learn." It was settled. Hugh signed the paperwork as did Paige on his parent's behalf. Hugh's sponsors didn't change as Rachel was still sponsoring him and her colleague was outraged at MIT and had full support for Hugh still. She had ties to UMass so it was just a lateral transfer of support in her eyes. Hugh wouldn't start until January and could do preliminary classes online to show that he was up to par as a college student getting the required classes out of the way. He was going to have to spend a lot of time with Paige but it was fine in his eyes, she was a great caretaker. Hugh smiled as he went through the typical things that all college students went through with a picture for his new school ID, filling out paperwork for payments, buying books, and signing up for classes. Hannah smirked as she spotted her brother Nigel Jr. walking by and try to rush off in the other direction from her. She authoritatively stated, "Get over here or mom hears about this." Nigel rushed over to her and gave Elise and Anne hugs and kisses then nodded to the shy Hugh, who was clearly intimidated. Hannah smirked while Paige explained, "You are going to be hired by us to drive Hugh to and from the school. He starts next semester so your job is months away. Keep him out of trouble and don't you dare try to pawn him off on others as it's your job as the elder cousin to help him out." There was little way out of it, he was drafted to be Hugh's escort/chauffeur/confidant/protector. He was not about to shirk his duties, but thankfully for him, he didn't have to do much at all as he was a major in biology and wouldn't have any classes with Hugh. He did have to explain what was going on to his awaiting classmates but that was easier than enduring his parent's wrath if he refused to help Hugh. The group left for home but first had to stop as the sleeping Pierre gave them an unwanted gift as he awoke from his slumber. Hugh struggled to not gag as the infant created something that should be seen as hazardous materials. Pierre simply took his bottle and went back to bed, he was not in any mood to fuss for attention or to play a game of, "Why am I really crying" with his mother. Home brought them more visitors as they were visited by Jaimie and Rick Samuels and their kids. The girl and boy were reluctantly going at their parent's request as their mother needed Anne to talk to her about a few things in private while their father set out legal paperwork on behalf of Hugh. Their son Eli was reluctant to hang out with Hugh as he looked like he was a twig compared with him but Hugh wasn't about to let Eli intimidate him and went about playing Eli's game system as the adults were busy with Anne and the girls played with Elise in the yard. Elise told them about Anne which caused the young Olivia, "Liv" Samuels to hug Elise for bringing yet another girl like herself to the family. Liv was the same grade as the girls but in a different school so she wasn't with Anne and Elise in school but she was still another girl who was transitioning and had someone close to her age who understood her. Liv and Anne were just two of the five kids in school that were part of the family and transitioning, with two more girls and one boy but were the only ones in the elementary school complex at the time. Inside, Rick went through a battery of questions about Hugh as well as ones regarding Anne. He had to know a lot of things on Anne's behalf but most of it was covered already by Cameron Byrne-Toro the previous night. He was mostly trying to ensure that the school didn't violate Anne's rights as well as trying to ensure that Hugh wasn't put in jeopardy due to his not being in school. When they were finished, Jaimie took Anne up to her room and did her own informal assessment so she could start seeing Anne as a patient. The two talked for an hour, with Anne crying at times as she told Jaimie all about her past, her family life since coming into the Smiths, her fears, her feelings for Elise, and anything that Jaimie could think of that would be relevant to discuss. She left nothing untouched and asked her just about everything she could think of to get the truth from Anne that she needed. When it was all finished, she told Anne, "You have nothing to fear in school. The kids are used to Liv and know that not to try to go after our family. Liv is like you, I am only telling you this because she knows about you and it's not right for her to know about you and you not to know about her. She is two doors down and will be seeing a lot of you so I believe it'll help both of you to have someone to talk to about your shared past." Anne hugged her for caring so much about her and her new 2nd-cousin. It would help her to know a girl like her is close by and needs Anne as much as Anne needed her. Jaimie understood their special bond that only girls like them could have, she didn't have the same kind of bond with Reyna Sylvester but she saw it with her cousin Nichole and 2nd-cousin, Kylie King. The two walk downstairs after Anne washed her tears from her face and stopped for a second to see the boys playing silently as Hugh was fighting to keep Eli at bay on Eli's game system. Jaimie had to shake her head at her youngest being so bold as to take his game system from home and bring it over without asking either her or husband but it was keeping him out of trouble and Hugh was interacting with a boy who wasn't mistreating him due to his intelligence. Eli was a bit rough around the edges due to his life being less than ideal until recently but he was acting well around Hugh with the two not even trying to act as if they were better than the other or fighting with one another. The boys had gotten along once the initial fears evaporated. Hugh wasn't a threat, he was older but he was the same size as Eli. Eli was more afraid for his sister, Hugh had shown he was OK with her there. The boys ignored one another until Eli got bored and asked his father if he could go home. Rick refused and told him to bring his game system over if he had to. Being the newest ZBox it was just a matter of unplugging it into the TV but it was more of a matter of discipline to be told to go get it. Hugh complained that he was doing it all wrong and getting beaten in his fighting game because he was too focused on trying to win and not focused on using weaknesses against the fighters. He showed Eli how it was supposed to be done and beat a guy Eli had been stuck on for weeks. Eli asked how he did it and was given a terse, "The guys at my old school joked that I was too much of a geek to beat them but once you play it enough times you see the patterns that you are supposed to notice and use the openings to beat the guys. They never bothered, they went ahead full speed and got hit hard by attacks- like you." Hugh helped Eli beat the next two guys then played himself to show that he wasn't a fluke and beat the entire game before. The two battled one another silently, Eli was actually good at countering Hugh's few combo moves while Hugh knew enough of the character's weaknesses to hit at the right times as Eli was recovering from his own moves. It was actually a good stalemate with the boys loving their time together as they shared something in common, they were looked down upon by others because of who they are as people and who they had as family. The family was interrupted by the arrival of Lillian, Harry, BJ, Ophelia, and Eli and Liv's elder sister Sylvia. Sylvia hugged her parents then meekly said hello to Hugh before making her way out back to hug her sister and Elise. Seeing Anne, Sylvia waited until given the OK from her parents as she didn't want to frighten Anne by doing the wrong thing especially if she didn't like being hugged. Anne asked Elise who the girl was, getting a big smile and happy, "She's our 2nd-cousin Sylvia, she's Aunt Jaimie and Uncle Rick's daughter. She's OK, she spends too much time kissing her boyfriend and not enough time doing schoolwork. Or at least that's what mom says." Sylvia heard that and stopped in her tracks while the others laughed. She was notorious for forgetting to do her homework and spending up to three hours a night talking with her boyfriend, Chance Carter, on the phone. Chance was the only one who could ever get her to focus on anything, the two were so close that it was felt that they were almost mirror images of their parents as they were the same way. The mothers called it an afternoon and split up, with the boys reluctantly parting ways. It was touching to see Eli having someone to look up to and Liv in tears as the girls were forced to go their separate ways for the day. They were assured time the next day if Liv wanted to come by, it was a rhetorical question as her eyes begged her mother for permission which was granted. Hugh went to bed happy. It was the first time in a long time that he had fun with a boy and Eli was good at getting him to stop thinking logically and start to think about what was going on in front of him. He was not realizing it but his isolation was starting to crack and the genius in him was starting to become more than just book intelligence and more well-rounded smarts thanks to Eli's influence. Hannah left with Elise and Pierre while Jaimie stayed until Bryan returned. Hugh and Eli were told to play for another hour then Eli was to go home and finish his homework. Eli grumbled about it but it was a non-issue, he had no choice but to comply or he'd lose his game system for a week- again. When Bryan finally returned, he complained that the company they hired to maintain their home had let people move in and left it trashed. They didn't lose anything important, but they would have to pay a lot of money to contractors to fix up the place. Rick just smirked and asked for the information about the company then started to sharpen his teeth for taking a bite out of the caretaker company while also going after the insurance company if they chose to deny Bryan's homeowner insurance claim. Anne was seeing the family at work firsthand and loving how they were so quick to help one another at no expense to themselves. Her former mother would have never fought for her rights nor would any of her maternal relatives helped one another unless they got something more in return. The more she was around the family, the more she couldn't believe how lucky she had been in finding Paige as a mother. Eventually, the Samuels family left, allowing the kids to get ready for bed. Elise hugged Anne and told her that she would have plenty of help the next day, she trusted her friends to do the right thing. It was a bold move but Elise knew the kids better than anyone, their eyes showed they wanted to know Anne. Hugh was allowed to stay up a little later than Anne but it was mostly as a show of faith to which was a good move by Bryan and Paige but unneeded as he was exhausted and didn't want to appear to be tired in front of the adults. He went to bed and woke up the next day to Anne poking him awake, feeling like he had just gone to bed instead of sleeping 10 hours. He rolled over and complained about her being in his room, getting a terse, "Fine then, don't eat." He got up and ran to the bathroom, then went downstairs to eat while Anne slowly walked down and had to hide a laugh as he was rushing for no reason. She was trying to tease him but he must have been hungry as he dug into his food before she even sat down. Hugh was too hungry to offer a response to Anne's teasing, he could not care less about it as it was nothing compared with his sisters' teasing. Anne ate fast as well, while Paige finished her coffee and bagel with Bryan saying that he was going to drop them off at the school while Hannah would take them home. Anne asked about Hugh, getting him to say, "I have to start doing work or I can't take the classes I need in January. It's not like I'll spend the day playing on my computer, I still have work to do too!" Anne just nodded and went back upstairs to change into her school clothes. Paige brought out her new backpack and school supplies while also including her new iPad and cell phone. Neither were to be in use during school without permission of her teacher but Anne was happy to have them in the first place. The drive to school felt like forever to the kids, but to Paige, it was quick and soon saw Elise rushing to the door to drag Anne off to meet their new classmates. Elise introduced Anne to her old friends, with the girls all smiling as they heard Elise calling her, "Cousin" and not explaining Anne wasn't unofficial like several other older kids and teens. Anne was asked a bunch of questions including how she met the Smiths and how she came to be Elise's newest cousin. Anne knew that she couldn't lie so she told about what happened to her from the time Paige came to be her teacher to the times Paige helped keep her company in school to Paige's forcing of social services to help her after she was visibly abused. The kids were enthralled and listening to every word, Elise was nodding at everything but letting Anne tell her story alone. There was no hint of lying and form the sound of things it was what Paige would do for someone especially a kid in need. The kids asked about Hugh, with the girls whispering, "He's cute" as they snickered at seeing the waiting boy standing with Paige and Bryan. Anne explained, "He's my cousin, we are both Elise's 5th-cousins." It was weird to hear, but Elise explained, "Our great-great-great grandparents are the same. He doesn't have to go to school anymore because he's a genius. He's in college, Uncle Nigel has to babysit him when he's in school now." The kids were satisfied and walked off together and showed Anne the school while their parents talked to Paige and Bryan about Anne and if the rumors about her were true. It was expected, Anne would be something to talk about by the parents especially those who didn't believe she had a right to be around the other kids. Those people were few and far between but even nearly a quarter of a century later there were still stalwarts who refused to accept change and refused to allow in those who were "different." There was one person in particular who hated everything about Anne, her name was Monica Porter. She was the step-sister of Bryan's 2nd-cousins Raul Porter and Stephanie Phillips-Porter and held a long grudge against Bryan's family, particularly Jaimie, ever since freshman year of high school. She had convicted for assault, statutory rape, and child pornography in 2021, but was given early parole after five years in total and required to register as a sex offender and forced to stay away from her father, Shea Porter, and sister, Rosalind Byrne-Toro. She was technically related to Bryan's family through Rosalind and her step-mother but refused to acknowledge her father's second wife nor his adopted son and daughter as being related to her. She had somehow gotten pregnant by and later married to a rich and successful businessman in the city and was at the school due to her daughter. It was her worst nightmare as years of anger came to a head as she saw Paige and Bryan, with Paige being one of the people that she blamed for ruining her life back in high school sending her down her path to prison. Seeing that the Smiths were involved in Anne's life caused her to angrily yell out, "Does your family go out of its way to help those freaks or do you get stuck with the ones nobody wants?" Nobody bothered to humor Monica while Hannah had to be held back by Pete, who shot back a more direct, "Did you get jealous that she found a decent mother while yours is still rotting away in prison? Are you now trying to entice elementary school kids or are you sticking to sleeping with 14-year-old boys?" Monica glared at him while Pete casually told others, "She's a registered sex offender. She shouldn't be here yet somehow managed to slip past notice. She's a mother but that can change as she is going after the one person in the state whose kids you should never go after. And I'm not talking about Aunt Valerie either. Although, she might have some strong words with the school resource officers about Monica." Monica threatened to go after Anne through DCF causing laughs from the four Smiths and all others who heard. Pete happily told her, "For someone who has been a plague to our family for over 21 years you really know very little about us. Trying to use DCF? Really? Jenna Daniels and Jessica Vincent would rip you to shreds while her great-uncle Mark Sylvester and Paige's mother and Anne's namesake, Anne Connors, would laugh themselves silly at the accusations. Those two have been in the social services community since before you were born. Your threats won't work on her either so whatever your husband can throw at her won't stick because Uncle Mark RUNS DCF." Monica had lost the crowd, but she never had it to start with. She didn't get the chance to react as she was tapped on the shoulder by a police officer and told to never return to the school and that she had to arrange for her children to be picked up by someone else. Monica's husband would be furious at her for what she had happened to her, all of her bluster and lies of being innocent were about to be exposed by the vengeful Valerie Finn- payback for harming her daughter 17 and a half years before. With Monica gone, Paige expected an onslaught of questions but found only a few willing to ask them. The ones who were about to ask were the ones Hannah hoped would take part in the questions, they are the few who she trusted with Elise and knew to be good folks. She would know best, they had been her and Paige's classmates and in the case of two, her teammates, on the cheerleading squad. The questions were fast and furious, with Paige answering them honestly and with the intent that they would not lead to the parents getting angry or upset. There were gasps at Anne's family connection but smiles as it was fitting, out of all the people in the UK she happened to fall into the hands of the few who could help her best. The revelation that the men responsible for all of Anne's troubles being after her for the money her birth father had left her caused angry reactions but wide smiles as the men falling into an inescapable legal tap got laughs while quelling further questions due to legal sensitive. The group disbursed and let the Smiths go their separate ways. Bryan and Pete went to speak with their insurance agent then line up their Uncle Dan's contracting firm to do the work on the house. Paige and Hannah would go back home and relax, with Hugh going to his room to work on his classwork. In school, Anne had to speak with Ms. Morrison and explain what she had done so far in school. She was about the same level as the other kids and would need some time to adjust her writing but was in a good place overall. Elise would be working with her as Paige had expected, but she also had the help of Elise's friends whenever she needed especially as they wanted to get to know her better. When class started, Anne was forced to speak to her classmates and tell them her story firsthand. She was not alone in this, as Elise had to do the same but it was easier for her since 2/3rds of the class had known her since kindergarten. Elise spoke first and was done in seconds, all she really had to say was that she was back because her mother had given birth to her new brother and didn't want to live in the UK any longer especially as the kids were horrible to her over there. Anne steeled herself and explained what happened to her, why it happened, then what happened to the people who had done her wrong. Elise was nodding throughout, with Anne adding how her own family was known to Elise's family and she was cousins to Elise, albeit they weren't blood relatives. Elise had to explain that one as it wasn't widely known, but it wasn't too far-fetched for the kids to believe either. Anne's gender change wasn't asked about as Anne and Elise addressed it indirectly as they talked about the kids in their old school. It was able to be used by Ms. Morrison to show the kids that there were still some similarities among schools despite distance and style. It was also used as a transition to start the day and continue with what they had been learning so far, with Elise and Anne playing catch-up all day. When the day ended, Elise and Anne sought out Liv and Eli with Hannah happily telling the four that she was going to drive them home. Anne was happy to spend time with Liv while Elise pointed out to her classmates that the two were 2nd-cousins through their parents and Anne lived two houses down from them but attended Mrs. King's husband's school instead of their school. Liv now got some of the kids' attention which caught her by surprise but with Elise's encouragement, she accepted it. The kids spent a bit of time asking about Liv and finding her to be no different than them, even if she was adopted and like Anne anatomically. Eli was stuck having to endure the girls' chatter while he was growing anxious about getting home to enjoy his game system and battling his classmates online. He hoped Hugh was willing to play again, but he understood if he wasn't able to due to his classwork. When their friends' and classmates' parents finally intervened to get them moving, the kids all hugged goodbye and left Anne with a strong first impression of her classmates. Liv was just as happy as Anne, especially as the kids were treating her like she was more than just the daughter of the beloved Jaimie Samuels. The two were all smiles, they were beginning to see things were better than they appeared and for once in their lives, they had real friends. At the house, Hugh was told to take a break so he wasn't overloaded. He had done quite a bit that day and had a lot more to do but plenty of time to do it. Eli was grateful for him putting away his work, he was about to ensure that Hugh made mincemeat of Eli's classmates especially the biggest trash talkers. The boys were at it until dinner, with Eli finally going home to do his homework but happy to have had the time with Hugh. Hugh was happy as well, Eli was a great kid even if a little eager. None of the girls said anything about the two being close especially as it kept the eight-year- old Eli out of their hair and it made Hugh feel better and act like a normal kid, even if he was in college. The kids kept busy for the rest of the week but were told that they were going to a family dinner at the Finn home with the Bollinger, Peterson, King, Smith, Finn, Samuels, and Sylvester branches. The whole of the blood branches Finns was attending, it was as close as you could get to a royal summons in the US, especially in Winnisimmet. The only ones not going were the Castillo branch of the family, they chose to stay home as it would have been way too overwhelming for Anne and Hugh to introduce their 3rd-cousins and cause them even more confusion for them. Hugh tried to beg off of the gathering as he wasn't part of the family, he was just a Smith. This was not going to be allowed, especially when it was pointed out that the Smiths who were going to all be there were his family too. He finally backed down when he was told that Eli was going and would be upset if he didn't go. Friday night they were going to see BJ play football and Ophelia cheer, giving the two kids a chance to see the two in action while also giving Hugh the chance to see the sport in person that kids in the UK had a hard time seeing the value of. He didn't bother to humor them as they complained about it being a, "Pansy" sport, he knew the physics of the game and knew how hard players were hitting and how it was easy to get hurt much worse just by being an inch off in your hit and how rugby players weren't hitting as hard or as low as American football players were hitting. The kids were unsure what to make of the crowd gathered at the stadium but seeing some familiar faces among the crowd put them at ease for a bit, especially Ophelia and their cousin Lillian. Lillian grabbed the two and hugged them tightly, kissing each on the cheek and causing Hugh to blush deeply. Lillian smiled at him and knew that he was feeling weird, it was a little teasing to which she added, "That's for making us look bad. You won't believe how much you have our teachers on us to be like you." Hugh blushed again and stuck by Paige's side to stay out of the line of fire in case anyone didn't like his causing them trouble. He didn't have to wait long before he got sought out by Eli, with Eli dragging him off to their own little spot in the stands so the two could get away from the hugging and kissing. It was fine with Hugh but they did have to find something more than just gaming to do as he didn't like to be thought of as only good for doing that. Hugh didn't have a chance to say anything as he caught sight of someone who made his heart flutter and give a goofy look as he was practically drooling over the person, unable to speak or move much. Eli looked over at who Hugh was staring at and groaned, he knew the girl and knew just why Hugh was acting weird. The girl saw Eli and went right for him, then seeing Hugh she stopped and blushed at the boys while trying to fight for words. Eli whined at the girl, telling her, "Can't you go anywhere without making all the boys act like idiots?" She shot back and angry, "It's not my fault mom and dad have such good genes. Do you think I like to have to fight off the jerks in school? Uncle Vance has to suspend at least one a week for trying to feel my boobs and snapping my bra!" She finally turned to Hugh and introduced herself, "I'm Tracy Daniels. Mom said you are staying with Aunt Paige and Uncle Bryan. Mom and dad said you don't have to go to school anymore." She was bubbly and sweet but he was struggling to find the right words to speak. He kept looking into her eyes and was lost in them, seeing stars and a shine that he had never seen before and loving the blue and light green hue to her irises. She felt her own heart flutter as he was looking into eyes, it was a first for her as no boy before Hugh had made her react that way and he hadn't said a word yet. The two just stared at one another and were unable to speak. Eli got up and walked away in disgust. He only got as far as where the adults were gathering before he was asked where Hugh was, with him then pointing at the two in anger while the adults looked at one another with smiles on their faces. Eli complained that he was going to be bored now. His father just smirked and told him firmly, "He's 13, you are eight. I'm sorry son, but no matter how much he wants to stay with you his hormones won't let him. Leave him alone for a while, it looks like Tracy is in need of this more than anything." Tracy's parents, George and Jenna Daniels, looked at one another with smiles as their beloved daughter was showing maturity for the first time when dealing with boys. Hugh wasn't a normal boy, but even so, he was still 13 and feeling the effects of puberty. It wasn't hard to read his mind, he was in love with the beautiful young lady in front of him but unlike so many other boys he actually acted like a grown man. Tracy pulled herself together and pulled Hugh along to meet the other members of her family. She was acting anxious and happy, with Hugh enjoying being close to her. Hugh couldn't remember any of the people he met, he was so engrossed in Tracy that the words coming out of her mouth was the only thing that mattered to him and anything else didn't. Anne had a ball meeting all of the kids, especially her 2nd-cousins who weren't related to her but still considered family. As soon as they saw Elise talking with Anne they rushed over and introduced themselves, telling her how jealous they were that she got to get out of school for over a week while they were stuck with boring schoolwork. They were all eager to hug and kiss her with the younger boys not even flinching at a girl like her hugging them. Paige had to smile at Anne seeing how a family should act around one another. It was touching, even if it was just a normal reaction for the kids it meant the world to Anne. Just from Anne's reaction alone, she knew that she and Bryan had made the right choice in moving to the US so suddenly. Seeing Hugh with Tracy caused Paige to snicker and shake her head. The boy was getting himself a tour of the family and couldn't focus on anything for a second. She sent a text of the two to Hugh's mother Isabella along with an apology for the lateness but seeing her son with a girl and looking lost in her eyes prompted Isabella to call directly for an answer. Paige smiled, then explained, "That's my niece Tracy. You met her parents Jenna and George in court. I think she was introducing herself and might have fallen for Hugh as much as he fell for her." Isabella was speechless and could be heard talking to her husband Beau. Beau was smiling at his son, and happily told his still-awake and rambunctious daughters, "Three days there your brother has gotten himself a girlfriend already." Hugh's sisters didn't believe it and made snide comments about him being a loser who couldn't get a real girl if he tried. Both were laughing at the idea that their brother was with a girl let alone a girl who wanted to be with him. Hearing all of that was only causing Paige to grow angry, but she held together. She calmly asked Isabella, "Are they always like that with their brother? They are acting like he is not even capable of getting the interest from someone let alone a girl he just met. It's no wonder he went with us so easily, I don't think I would be able to stay with others like that." Isabella sighed and confessed, "They just don't like their brother. Part of it is jealousy of his abilities while part of it is their own personalities. We have tried everything to get them to treat him right but they are so intent on making him miserable. They are just too different, the girls are one and the same and are a constant source of troubles for us but Hugh is an anomaly among our family. Beau and I love him unconditionally but it is impossible to maintain a balance between the girls and Hugh's needs. I shudder thinking about what he may have done when he gets older, it would only get worse for him. He is better off with you and Bryan. You are his saviors." Paige could hear the pain in her voice, it was the voice of a mother realizing that she was losing her child. Hugh was better off with Paige as his mother than Isabella, she loved her son but she couldn't let him suffer anymore. Hugh would thrive with Paige, she would be able to do what nobody else could. Paige told her that she would never replace Isabella as his mother but Isabella could see that she had, he just hadn't vocalized it. He was happy, if being away from his "real" family was what was best then he needed to stay with Paige and Bryan and become the man he deserved to be. Paige was a good person, he would thrive under her care and let him spread his wings and fly on his own. Paige sensed the need to say something and pointed out, "He's still your son no matter what you think. I am not his mother, I'm at best an honorary aunt. He's simply around people who can empathize with a kid like him and he offers them what they were missing in their life. Tracy is a kindhearted girl like her mother in so many ways, there's something in Hugh that she likes and he's still a 13-year-old boy inside that mature, logically thinking, genius mind of his. He probably had the same reactions in Chiselworks with your daughters' friends, I think that's the source of some of their insults and teasing as they realize that their brother was finding girls attractive and wanted him far away from them as possible as he may be a positive influence on the girls which would make his sisters' antics be exposed for what they are." Isabella shed a tear and asked, "Tell me about this girl, do you trust her to treat him right?" Paige smiled and proudly told her, "She's my niece through my sister. She's the daughter of the Chief Cyber Security Officer of Peterson Manufacturing and the head of the nearby social services office. As I said before, you met them. Jenna and George Daniels." Paige smiled again and added, "That might be about the best thing possible for him, George was smaller than Hugh and suppressed his interest in technology until college. He might be able to help Hugh if he gives George a chance, he's used to being all alone with only a single friend for support. Eli is great and all but he's still only a normal eight-years-old kid." She had to end the call as she was about to get inundated with requests about Hugh, especially from the two who would demand to know who the boy talking with their daughter was. Paige could see the look of anger on George while Jenna had a look that only a mother could understand, her baby was growing up. Paige shared the look with her, Hugh was a great boy who could help Tracy blossom further. Paige steeled herself then told the couple, "That is Hugh Smith with Tracy, Isabella and Beau's son. You must not have met him at the courthouse after the hearing but he's staying with us. It's another Sydney situation, but it's much worse at home for him. The poor boy is constantly tormented by two brats who are going to end up pregnant and stuck all alone in a couple of years. Yes, I mean that. They act mature but are terrible people. Isabella and Beau tried to raise them right but as you have seen so many times before, sometimes you can't save a person from themselves." Jenna understood her, she had seen it far too many times not to know the signs of being self-destructive and knew the girls were in for a rough life ahead. Their parents were decent people, but even they have limits. Hugh would be the target of their frustrations and anger at failing in life if he was still there. George tried to put on a tough father act but an elbow from Jenna caused him to grunt and change the way he was looking at Hugh and stop pretending to be upset that his daughter had found love. Jenna happily said, "It's like us, honey she's taking after us." George had to smile at the memories, Tracy was channeling them and acting as they did at the same age. The couple watched for a bit and Hugh wasn't even trying to make a move on Tracy while Tracy was so lost in his eyes that she could have agreed to anything. Hugh could have kissed Tracy and gotten to feel her breasts if he wanted to thanks to Tracy's hormonal fog, but he was just as lost in her beauty. The two kids finally stopped their staring contest when interrupted by more kids their age coming by. It was starting to become a makeshift powwow of the middle school kids, with the couples sitting with their significant others while the single kids hung together. None of them seemed to take offense to Hugh being there, all of them knew who he was and why he as there and were not about to upset their aunt Paige or uncle Bryan by upsetting Hugh. Hugh watched the game closely and figured out what was going on and why and how certain things are played differently than others. His analytical mind was starting to get at ease as the game was giving a big boost to him as he was right that the kids in his old school were idiots. He could see how hard each team was trying to figure out solutions to problems that kept arising rather than the continuous back and forth pushing and running that dominated rugby, it was too much thinking for those kids and the more you had to think as a player the less, "Fun" it was to them. The game was a tight win for the hometown Winnisimmet High School, with BJ getting a lot of attention in the form of girls swooning over him but with BJ frequently telling them to back away but seeing the girls ignore him and continue on. Hugh asked if the girls kept throwing themselves at BJ, getting an upset, "The always do that" from Tracy. He asked if they believed that he had a girlfriend in England, to which she complained, "They don't believe it, none of the school actually believes it. Some of the guys are starting to say that he is really gay and doesn't have the guts to come out or that his parents sent him away because of that." Hugh wasn't happy to hear that, saying, "Lucy is a great girlfriend. She loves him and he loves her. It sucks that she lives so far away from him but she misses him a lot." Tracy kissed his cheek over saying that, it was too sweet not to. She hadn't even realized she had done that until she felt his cheek on her lips. Her cousins snickered at the unintentional move but it was clear that she liked him a lot. Her parents were caught by surprise, it was something they didn't think that she'd do to him for a while. Over in their own area, the younger kids were busy talking about anything and everything while Eli was moping over Hugh not being next to him. The younger kids happily played with Anne, inducting her into the family through their own little way of bringing out the best in you and giving her a show of force as a family. Liv and she talked and played on their own when the youngest kids got tired while Elise gave them time to have their special bonding. She understood why they were close and was happy to let them do what they needed to do as only they could truly understand one another. Elise's friends came by and got the girls to join them, with the girls showing just what Elise had meant as they treated Anne like one of them especially as she was showing that she was one of them in full. It was something that Anne had been hoping to endure, she was part of a group and they were fine with her as a girl and weren't going to abandon her because she wasn't, "Real." The girls saw her as just what she really was, she was Elise's cousin and their new classmate but was just like Elise in every way. The kids lost track of time and were soon sought out by their parents, leading to hugs and kisses as the group broke apart. Elise and Anne were sought out by their siblings, with BJ and Ophelia introducing Anne to their teammates. Anne didn't get much notice, it was more of a way to prove that she really did exist and his sudden absence from school was for a real reason. Elise complained that he needed to go over to the estate to see Lucy soon because she was missing him. BJ blushed and shot back a terse, "She knows I have school and football. I already talked with her last night so don't provoke me." Elise was smart in what he was doing, she was getting Lucy's name out there and allowing the few who were trying to get BJ to get with a real girl to give others a taste of their views. One bit, telling Elise, "He doesn't have a real girlfriend. This is just some big joke to keep away from the girls. Geeze, just fess up and tell the truth- you are gay. Man up, you don't have to hide in the closet anymore." Anne angrily shot back, "She's real! She's beautiful and loves him deeply! Her school doesn't have the same holidays that you have and her family works hard for our family. He's seeing her at Christmas and will see her during her breaks. Mum said she's thinking flying her out here in the Spring!" That last part came out without thinking. BJ looked down at her while Elise's brother Harry explained, "You don't have to believe him if you don't want to, but you are going to live with what you said about him. Don't come back to the team, we don't want your attitude here. You might not get detention for this but it's unlikely since Gruncle Jake heard you and is glaring at you. Seriously, how in the hell did you think that it would slip by unnoticed by the principal?" Harry stood tall over the team, literally- as the tallest player and one of the largest physically. They had the backing of other members of the extended family, especially team captain Antonio Peterson and Johnny Finn. The team was dominated by Finn Family members, as it had been for past 21 years. Anne hugged BJ tight and dared someone to say something about her brother. None had the guts to do so as it would be instant social suicide. Harry moved them on while BJ lifted his sister up and hugged her to calm her down, showing his softer side while she continued to hug him tightly. Hugh reluctantly parted from Tracy, with Tracy giving him a kiss on the lips. The shock of the kiss was so much to them that they never noticed the flashes of Paige and Jenna's cameras, with Paige sending off a picture to England and Jenna having to fight tears as her little girl was now a young woman. Tracy was falling for Hugh, it was hard not to see that she was smitten with him especially after the kiss. The group broke up for the night, with BJ and Ophelia telling their parents that they would have all of their things ready to go the next afternoon. Both were happy to return home, it was what Anne needed from Ophelia while Hugh could use the presence of BJ. It would start to feel more like home now that they would have a full house, especially as the family would finally be whole. The two kids were worn out by the time they arrived at home, Hugh was a walking zombie while Anne needed to be carried inside by Bryan. The kids didn't fight their bedtimes, both were out as soon as their heads hit their pillows. They slept straight through the night, with Anne up later than Hugh but the two feeling energized and happy. Paige awoke to her phone buzzing with a text demanding to know what was going on in the picture. She texted, "She's my niece Tracy Daniels. They met through Eli, our cousin Jaimie's son. They took a liking to one another. It was love at first sight. She stole that kiss as they parted." The text was immediately followed by a phone call, with Paige explaining Tracy to Isabella again while both tried to hold back smiles at Hugh's big jump in life with just one simple meeting. Paige added a quiet, "He's on the cusp of becoming a man physically. BJ is moving back in today so Hugh will have a positive masculine figure to help him through the tough times ahead. He's like his father, he's good with younger kids. BJ will be the older brother Hugh needs." Paige realized her mistake but Isabella countered, "He's family and sadly my brothers were content to not have any more children after their daughters were born. His 2nd-cousins are all too young for him so it's just him as the sole boy among us. He's all alone with nobody to understand him, it's best that the closest he has to a brother helps him." Isabella asked about Tracy and the others around her, with Paige explaining how they knew about Hugh and were happy to include him even if they didn't understand him. The two talked for an hour as they were finding it easier to work out what was best for Hugh and Paige insisted on Isabella knowing all of the things that her son was going to do and why. She was laying down the law, Isabella was his mother even if Hugh was not comfortable at home anymore and wanted to remain in Paige's care. Hugh heard a lot of what was being said and blushed as Paige looked at him and smiled. Anne giggled at the boy's reaction, getting him to proclaim, "How long before you start to like boys?" Anne blushed and ran off, her teasing was turned around on her and he had hit something that she didn't consider yet. The family ate in silence once Paige ended her call, Bryan cooked their eggs and bacon with Anne not even asking what it was as she appreciated the food regardless of how different it looked to her. It was understandable, the cut of meat was different but the usage was the same. They were alright with it but it wasn't something that the two would want to eat every day, although some in the family probably would as Bryan later joked. The kids were left with little to do so spent time in their rooms. Anne was playing with her doll while Hugh was busy with classwork and coming up with some ideas for games that sounded like fun to him. Neither wanted to do much and Hugh didn't want to get stuck with Eli again, especially as it was clear to him that Eli only thought of him as a gamer and not as another boy. When the time came to head to the Finn home, Paige prepared them for the onslaught of well-wishers and hugs. Hugh was told that a lot of the ladies would hug him and likely also some of the younger kids but he didn't have to stay there and endure the greetings as they were being polite to him. The kids were about to get in the car but were stopped and walked two blocks to the largest house of the whole of the family, John and Valerie Finn's home. Anne asked if it was as big as their old house in Oldham, getting a laugh and happy, "It's smaller. It doesn't have a pool or fitness room." Bryan rang the doorbell then looked next door and across the street at the neighbors. All eyes were on the family, with Hugh getting special attention. It was expected by them, all of those looking at them were members of the extended family particularly the Herman, Miller, and Pena, and Lopez branches. The door felt like it took forever to open, but it was merely two minutes and saw John Finn complain that the four kids were getting lazier and lazier. Anne and Hugh were scared when they heard that, but it was only leading to Bryan and Paige fighting a laugh as it was clearly planned by the four teens. He opened the door and ushered them in, complaining that they had reached a new low in laziness and are on the verge of getting stuck doing dishes and washing the cars. Once inside, Valerie hugged and kissed the two kids then introduced John, who then called for the four teens to come downstairs. Hearing John's tone they rushed down and apologized for not answering the door, which he didn't believe for a second and happily told Paige and Bryan, "They are your problems now. They have been on edge and pretty much stopped doing anything since Monday." John led them to the living room and told Hugh to go downstairs and play on the game systems if he wanted to give them some privacy or didn't want to be stuck meeting so many new people. He didn't need to be told twice, he went off to play while leaving the adults and teens to talk and keeping out of the line of sight lest he gets forced to talk about things he didn't want to. Anne didn't budge, she didn't want to get lost in the strange house and walk into the wrong room and end up upsetting the Finns. The talk was basic, John brought them up to speed on what they were learning in school, what they had gotten so far for grades, who their teachers were, and how much trouble they had caused. Bryan glared at BJ but it was Ophelia who winced. Paige sternly asked, "What did you do?" Ophelia cringed and confessed, "I got caught in the locker room with a boy. We didn't see that we were being followed by Uncle Thomas until he called out to me. I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to do that." Paige looked at John for an explanation, to which he added, "The boy blackmailed her into going into the locker room. Thomas heard what he was saying to her and dragged him out to the main office. He was expelled for what he did, you weren't told due to being en-route here and her wanting to let it drop. She is still under punishment, she should have used her recorder but she forgot to turn it on. It was a slip of her mind, but given that she was under pressure and in physical danger it's understandable." Bryan let out a sigh and told both, "This is our fault. You shouldn't be punished for our not being here. You are still grounded for a week for breaking curfew but your previous punishment is lifted." Ophelia hugged him tightly while John was left unable to counter his logic. Valerie told them that the others would be getting there soon, ending the awkwardness. The doorbell rang and multiple little kids entered followed by several complaining teenagers, giving Anne her first look at her new relatives. The youngest kids ran over to Anne hugged and kissed her, causing her to smile at them being so happy to meet her. Valerie introduced each of them as Johnny, Abigail, Ryder, and Quinn Finn. Ryder and Quinn were eight while Abigail was 10, Johnny was the eldest of the Finn grandchildren at 16. Their parents, Michael and Courtney, said hello then asked where Hugh was. Bryan pointed out, "Trying to stay out of things downstairs. He's not good with people and already has Eli using him for gaming. He knows that this is really for Anne so he's trying to not take the spotlight from her." Michael nodded and moved on, Eli was notorious for being forceful especially when he wanted you to do something for him. Courtney asked if they had gotten a doctor yet, getting a simple, "Aunt Sarah will be seeing them soon. We had to get her signed up for school first, it was more important." Before they could respond with Courtney's usual caring forceful opinion, they were stuck having to endure the entrance of Miles and Christina Finn and their kids. 15-year-old Violet Finn ignored the younger kids and sat down next to Ophelia. Eight-year-old Miles Jr. took to his new 2nd-cousin right away, fawning over her to the point of making her feel weird. It wasn't anything sexual, he was just happy to have her as a relative and wanted to be close to her as a family member. He was more like his mother than his father, Violet was similar to her dad and was tough to argue with or get the better of thanks to her observations and instincts. She was happy to sit quietly and watch Anne and see if she was getting anxious before she would help her out. The next to enter were Jaimie and Rick Samuels and their three kids. Sylvia went right for her cousins and asked if Anne was taking the introductions well. Anne nodded yes, showing she was doing alright. Eli demanded to know where Hugh was, getting his parents to tell him, "He's downstairs playing. Don't force him to do what you want to do. He has a right to be alone and not get hassled by you." He was about to say something but his mother's look shut him up. He was still new to being part of the family but was known for his ability to manipulate you into doing what he wanted. He liked Hugh and looked up to him, but he didn't know his limits and didn't see that Hugh didn't like being used by him. He went downstairs to play with Hugh but didn't join him until Hugh made the motion to hop on the other controller and play him. Neither said anything, they only played in silence. Miles Jr. and Ryder came down and tried to play Hugh but were soundly beaten, then started playing Eli and turned the tables on him as he tried to outwit them but couldn't get him to fall for his tricks. The four were closely observed by Miles Sr. and Michael, the kids were a stark contrast to one another with Hugh being the most naiive, Eli the most irrational, Ryder the most dominant, and Miles Jr. the most compassionate. In essence, they were their fathers' kids. Upstairs, the next group arrived with Sylvia and Mitch Gibson entering with their children, Jaimie and Mathew. Sylvia introduced them and asked that Anne call Jaimie, "Jae" as she liked it that way. The teen was apathetic to being there but knew not to get grumpy at her grandparent's house or she'd clean-up the place after school- again, for the sixth time. She left them to deal with Anne and sought out her cousins downstairs, stopping as she saw Hugh and felt jealousy over him landing Tracy already without even trying. Michael and Miles told her not to start trouble, they could tell that she was jealous and couldn't get over her issues over being led down the wrong path by, "Friends" in their school. It was not something the family was used to, the kids were normally OK with one another but Jae had been led astray by girls trying to use her to get at her father. Anne asked how many more were coming, getting a laugh from Paige while Bryan explained, "Our cousins Ella and Logan and their wives, your uncle Nigel and possibly his girlfriend, your uncle Ethan and his wife, your aunts Emma and Nichole and their husbands, mom, dad, Aunt Leslie and Uncle Mark, our cousins Marcus and his best friend Brent, Rachel and Reyna and their kids, our cousin Claire and her husband Will, her sister Daisy and her husband, and our cousin Iris and her wife Sam. Yes, all of those people are related to you, they are our first cousins and their children your 2nd-cousins." Ella Finn-Nelson and her wife Flora entered and went right for Anne, giving her a big kiss and then whispering to her, "It's nice to see another of us who are starting young." Ella added, "She's like you and had the surgery. It's going to take a long time so don't get upset. You don't want it early. Trust us, you will hear why. It's going to be a long road and none of us will accept shortcuts especially at the price that one costs." Flora was visibly pregnant causing Anne to blush as she realized it could happen to her if she fell for a girl like Flora. The couple were replaced in the meet and greet by Daisy Peterson and her husband Matt Fisher. The two were timid around Anne, neither wanted to say the wrong thing which may upset her but each showing her great care and loving how she was acting so far. Daisy was pregnant with their first child. It had an impact on Anne in a positive way as she knew that she could be a mother in some form, but how was not known to her. She had seen the results firsthand already, she just wasn't sure if she liked boys or if she liked girls and at her age, it wasn't expected that she would know yet either. Next to enter were Reyna and Rachel, with their two toddlers in tow. Anne smiled at the little four-year-old girl and 18-month-old boy, but the two were scared of her and clung to their mothers for support. They weren't used to new people, especially ones who were so nice to their parents, and were always with their parents when they weren't at their grandmothers' preschool. They were soon followed by Marcus Sylvester and his friend Brent Jones. The two were an oddity to Anne but they weren't any different than any others She expected them to be campy and look like drag queens but she knew that was a bad image that mean people made you think was true, especially as the fact was that only Brent was gay and Marcus was more like his brother than a boyfriend. Anne hugged both before they went downstairs to meet Hugh. Hugh was caught by surprise by the two guys and was shocked to hear that Brent was gay and Marcus was just a normal guy who loved Brent as a brother. He could hear the kids in his school laughing at him for being so close to a gay teenager but looking at Marcus it was like looking at a giant and seeing Brent it was like looking into a mirror as he was geeky and gangly but looked nice. Brent took over and challenged Hugh, leading to the two having a strong battle and causing cheering and laughs from the boys as the two went at it hard and heavy and to Hugh's pleasant shock and surprise- was an even match. Brent had his dad's instincts and reactions and could plot ahead while not falling for Hugh's clever traps and tactics. It was the most fun Hugh had so far, it was invigorating to have an intellectual challenge in Brent even if it was for a short period of time. Upstairs, Iris and Sam York arrived with their two-year-old toddlers and greeted Anne warmly. The toddlers hugged Anne and jumped in her lap, showing how much they loved her but were really like that to everyone. It was touching to Anne, she was happy to have their attention even if it was just normal for them to show their affections to the family. The next in was Logan Finn and his wife Piper. Piper was pregnant with their first child and looked like she wasn't feeling well. Anne didn't want to upset her by making her come there but Piper complained that she shouldn't have teased her sister-in-law about her pregnancy as Karma was a bitch and she was feeling the impact way too hard. They were followed by the arrival of the JD Finn, his wife Candace, and her three-year-old daughter Skylar. Skylar hugged her grandparents and said a timid hello to Anne before going off with the young kids. Candace was visibly pregnant and hugged Anne before sitting down next to Piper. JD was upstaged by his twin sister Cat arriving with her husband Gavin. Gavin hugged Anne tight before seeking out the other husbands and leaving Cat to face her punishment over the joke about her former cabbit Sammi. He was warned that the ladies weren't happy with Cat so fled before he got put in the crossfire of having to defend Cat and having to agree with her cousins that she was out of line. Cat tried to say something but was stopped by Paige asking, "Seriously, a sex joke told to a four-year-old? I know you are funny but even you should have limits. Just be glad she didn't say anything to anyone or else Hannah would have your head on a platter!" Cat just smirked and walked away, she got the fun she wanted even if it came at a price. Paige shook her head while Bryan complained to Anne, "She's just like your aunt and cousin but without their ability to rein in their tongues. We love her but sometimes she can be a handful. She's going to get her just desserts: mom said that it's always worse for you when you have a mini-you doing the same things you did. Right, Paige?" Paige didn't need to say anything, she just nodded. Anne got the joke, it was blood and it was how they learned. She was like Hugh and also not like him, they were family but still different from one another. The family awaited the arrival of the other members of the Smiths. Nichole King and her husband Joshua arrived next and immediately embraced Anne. They didn't say anything, just hugged her and let her get her tears out over seeing her aunt again. The couple was then replaced by Ethan Smith his wife Melinda. They carried a sleeping two-year-old in their arms and set him down for a nap upstairs in one of the bedrooms. They complained about him being sick again and keeping them up at night, somehow just like his namesake- his uncle Bryan. Next in was Nigel Smith Jr. and his girlfriend Patricia. She was intimidated by the group but knew that they were a large group and even larger over in the UK. Both were happy to see Anne, with Patricia being surprised at how pretty she looked especially for only just starting to live openly as a girl. No sooner had the Patricia and Nigel entered that Anne was told to not take any of what the man heard entering was saying to heart. She looked concerned but was told, "He's a joker, he teases everyone. It'll probably end up blowing up in his face yet again, he's not as funny as he thinks he is." The Bollingers entered and saw Anne introduced to Claire and Will as well as their 15-year-old son Simon, 13-year-old Lilly, and six-year-old Roland. Simon hugged and kissed Anne and asked if they brought back anything else from England or were they not getting any gifts. Paige smirked, then told him, "We brought her cousin Hugh as well, but you can't have him. You are too old for toys and your sister is too young to play with boys even if she's the same age as him." Paige got a whack in the head for that joke but it hit the mark with Simon, she stole his thunder and the teen couldn't respond without getting in trouble. Lilly went over to where the other kids were meeting while Roland stood by his mother's side, he was like his 2nd-cousins in his anxiety and shyness and wouldn't leave Claire's side until dinner. Anne didn't take offense either, it was intimidating to be around so many people that you barely knew especially the adults. Next to enter were Pete, Hannah, Elise, and the sleeping Pierre. He was oblivious to everyone but as soon as he was removed from his carrier and handed over to John to hold so Hannah could sit down he started to wail loudly. John openly complained, "Every single one of you! I swear I have been cursed! I should seek out a wiccan priestess to banish this lousy curse." Anne looked for guidance while everyone laughed at John. Elise explained to her, "Babies hate Gruncle John. None of us liked him until our first birthday. Mommy said it's because babies know he is easy to make fun of so they tell one another to do that. Pierre doesn't like anyone- just mommy and daddy." John stewed while the Petersons entered. Emma and her husband David walked their 15-year-old son Jerry and 18-year-old daughter Sophia while 13-year-old twins Claire and Vance walked behind them. The teens went for Hugh right away, there was no point in trying to hang around the adults and young kids especially as he was their age and they needed to keep the cranky Jae from doing something to the others especially as she got bored. They were the only two that she listened to, if they told her to knock off her jealousy and let Tracy and Hugh date then Jae would back away quickly. Vance and Claire lived up to their namesakes. Vance was smart while Claire was empathetic to the needs of others. They could tell that Hugh needed friends and not lovers, something that Jae didn't see. The two walked downstairs and immediately Jae backed away in fear while Miles told them, "She was warned but she isn't happy. She is trying but it's pretty clear that she needs some girl-time. Talking with Sylvia about what the girls are doing to her did a number on her, she really needs to work things out inside herself. She likes him, but she knows his heart belongs to someone else." Claire led Jae away to the upstairs office. Inside, she explained to Jae that if she didn't stop trying to win a boy who wasn't ready for girls or had already found his true love with her cousin she would be in serious trouble that she couldn't escape from. Jae started crying and confessed, "I don't understand it. I just saw him and can't stop thinking that I should have a boyfriend like him. None of the guys are like him and it's tough to see any older or younger boys who are good enough to kiss let alone date. I keep hearing the girls telling me that I deserve a hot guy and the guys in school aren't that good and we are going ot get the best guys because we have money and power. I want to, but their words are too strong to ignore. They are right, we can do better- but he's the best in the city!" Claire hugged her and kissed her forehead, she was feeling the pressure to date but wasn't ready yet. Claire wisely stated, "He wasn't ready and neither was Tracy yet they saw one another and clicked. It'll take time but you will find someone, we shouldn't be rushing into dating just because some skanks with falsies in their bras landed horny 10th- graders. There's a couple of boys in our class who are good with you, why don't you look closer at them and see that they are good enough for you. I know they like us, I hear them saying how pretty you are whenever you aren't around." The two walked back downstairs and sat quietly in the corner watching TV as the guys played. Their parents had seen that Claire had calmed Jae and both were looking better. They didn't need to intervene, Claire had done all of the work and it would be tough to top it. When Claire and Jae were downstairs, the last of the Smiths entered and were quickly followed by Leslie and Mark Sylvester. Karen and Nigel Sr. hugged Anne and asked if she was doing OK, getting a nod and smile from Anne. The two brought food with them and told the others, "They send their regards, but want to meet them soon. They mentioned next weekend but understand if they start making plans on their own. He doesn't really need to go but it would be wrong to not invite him to go as well." Anne asked who they were talking about, Bryan gave her a smile and happy, "Great-Uncle Jorge and Great-Aunt Victoria. They made the food for everyone and send their regards. You are invited to come by next weekend but knowing Elise's friends, you are going to have a bit of fun at one of their houses. Their parents are fine with you and will encourage them to include you especially as they trust Elise." The family called the kids upstairs to eat while the sleeping toddler Bryan was awoken and given some medicine and soup before being put back down to sleep. The entire group ate, with the kids mostly eating in the living room and games room while the adults ate in the dining room. It was organized chaos but it was like old times for the family, they rarely got together as a family except in times of need or for the sad funerals of their dearly departed elders. Paige's phone rang during the meal and saw Paige's face turn red in anger. Bryan asked what had her so upset, Paige whispered, "It's Camilla and Clara demanding to speak with Hugh. They won't take no for an answer. I don't think it's wise to let them talk." Hugh looked at Paige who shook her head. Valerie spoke for all of them and said, "Put it on video. They are going to have to explain why they are so intent on upsetting their brother in front of all of us." Hugh tried to tell her no but Paige smirked and complied. The girls gasped in shock while Hugh asked what they wanted, they were in the middle of a meal. The girls were fighting for words while Karen asked, "Are you trying to start trouble? If so, we will be sure to talk with your grandparents about your attempts to humiliate him in front of family and family of family. They are already upset with you for how you treat him at home, mistreating him elsewhere will only be hazardous to your freedom." She dared them to try to say something. The girls backed down but Camilla accidentally let out a quick, "The freak couldn't have kissed anyone." Clara added, "Even if he did he probably paid her. She's likely a prostitute or he forced her to do it." Karen growled, "We heard that and he did indeed kiss a lovely young woman. She is smitten with him and under no circumstances did he threaten her or is she a prostitute. You have some nerve to talk about any girls, you two have never even gotten close to a boy let alone kissed. You also happened to insult the niece of Paige and Christina here, they will be sure to tell father about your actions and I know that you will be barred from doing anything at the estate the next time you visit. You can also kiss earning any money at your aunt Sienna and Poppy's store as they refuse to hire girls like you. Don't try to lie to them because Emma heard you and she won't leave out ANY of what you said." The girls were so busy trying to insult Hugh that they didn't notice Miles or Christina there let alone the other Smiths especially not Emma. She was Poppy's cousin, making sure that the news would reach the couple shortly. Emma nodded to Karen and placed her call, with the girls hearing Emma tell Poppy everything while the girls begged and pleaded with Karen to not do it. Karen finally clicked off and hugged Hugh, telling him, "They are jealous of you. They hide it poorly but they are clearly jealous of you. You are going to do great things while those two are just going to end up pregnant and married and kiss their dreams goodbye. Your parents will cut back on their spending and giving the girls whatever they want whenever they want it. There are few things that scare parents more than the fear of losing their child especially due to something they cause or can prevent." The meal broke up at that, the kids hugged and kissed goodbye with Hugh getting a big hug from Jae as she had to fight tears over feeling terrible about treating Hugh like a sexual object instead of family. The tired Bryan hugged and kissed Anne and telling her, "Pretty" which caused her to blush over the sick boy's honest response. It meant a lot to hear it from him, especially as it was from the heart. The two sets of twins grabbed their personal items and walked over to their car, with Lillian and Harry driving it while BJ and Ophelia walked home. It took a half hour but the four twins were now officially home for good and in their parent's care. BJ hugged and kissed Anne, telling her, "Your new big brother won't let his little sister get hurt" which meant the world to her. The two kids went to bed while the teens kept awake. They were fighting their feelings but finally gave their parents hugs, with Ophelia crying into her father's shoulder. They missed their parents but would never tell them how much they missed them, their teenage pride wouldn't let them but it now showed. The two went up to bed while Bryan and Paige were left to feel the gravity of their house now feeling full with two kids and two teenagers home. Paige finally felt like she wasn't a failure, the death of her unborn child and ability to have more kids was finally vanquished. Anne's coming into their life had started the change for the better while Hugh made them feel like they were they were great parents. The couple hugged for a bit before Bryan pulled Paige up to their bedroom to enjoy some private time. The two slept through the night and enjoyed a small breakfast while the twins told them that the kids had been fed and were in their rooms doing homework. The twins were already showing how mature they were and gave the couple their privacy, they needed to adjust to living with parents again. Paige and Bryan spent much of the morning watching TV on the couch while the kids were busy with their homework and the twins chatted with friends on their phones and laptops. Just before lunch, Paige received a phone call from her mother asking her to bring the kids over for lunch. Paige suspected that she had an ulterior motive and told Anne, "If Tracy is going to be there, please don't go overboard about her and Hugh. The two are at a vulnerable point in their relationship and he just received a blow from his sisters last night. There's a spark there that is burning hot but it's too early." Anne understood what she meant and told them to bring the kids over anyway. She would tell Jenna and George to calm themselves when they saw the kids together. If the kids were as infatuated with one another as Paige suspected, Jenna would need to calm herself from making plans for wedding dates while it was going to take all of them to keep George from overreacting to his little girl becoming a woman even if he had seen the start of their relationship already. The six drove over to Anne's home, and could already see that it was going to be a packed house as the Finns were already there with Miles and Christina outside talking with Jenna and George. Paige had to take a deep breath then told Hugh, "George and Jenna will want to talk with you in private. Please don't think that you are in trouble, it's just their overprotective parent act. Tracy is George's favorite and the one most like her mother so it's tough on him to see her growing into a woman. No father wants to see his baby girl start liking boys, especially ones as amazing as you." Inside the house, Anne's grandmother observed her namesake with a keen interest. She wasn't alone, Tracy was also looking out at Hugh and was swooning over the sight of the boy. Anne smiled at her biological granddaughter's blossoming love life and couldn't fault her for finding Hugh attractive, the boy was going to be a looker when he filled out as he got older. Tracy's big 15-year-old sister Emily teased her sister about her having a boyfriend, causing Tracy to try to counter but failing miserably. Emily hugged her from behind and admitted, "He's got the looks and the brains, maybe he will pack a big bulge and give you the full package." Their grandmother was going to offer a scathing remark but Tracy countered her sister with a happy, "It must really bug you that no guy wants to upset dad and grandpa except Simon. Maybe some more time with your BOB will help relieve some of your built-up tension." Anne asked what she meant, getting a quick, "Just talking about her battery operated boyfriend that she has hidden under her bed. She got it from her friends since Simon won't go farther than kissing her." The frank sex talk from the girls only caused Anne to shake her head in disappointment, but it wasn't as if they were out of line since it was only them inside and their younger brother Mario was watching TV in his own room so hadn't heard the girls' jokes. He was only eight but being fairly new to the family he was not inclined to get too enthusiastic at meeting others. He knew enough about his cousin to be fine with her, especially as she was talked about in good terms by her parents and aunts. The Smiths finally entered and introduced the younger Anne to Emily, who proceeded to hug Anne tightly causing her to blush over the affection. Emily called for her brother to come down, leading to the boy to slowly walk down the stairs and give Anne a reluctant hug then go back up to his room. He didn't say a word to Anne, he was too frightened to say anything to any of the Smiths. Anne looked upset at his sudden departure, but her grandmother calmly explained, "He is not used to meeting new people, he only joined the family in April. He is a lot like you, his parents never wanted him and badly neglected his needs. They moved back to their home country instead of raising him. He was hurt badly by kids in his foster home like you were and was threatened with death if came back. He's trying hard to fit in but it's tough for him." Anne understood, it was similar to her own story except he wasn't transgender. She went up to his room and gave him a hug, telling him to come down because he doesn't have to hide from her. Her look was tough to refuse, she was offering him an understanding hand and he took it. The Smiths waited for the last two to come, Violet and Miles Jr. were running late after he got stuck in a battle with his cousins online and refused to leave until it was over. Violet complained to her parents about Eli trash talking him until he gave in, getting an upset, "He needs to stop that" from Hugh as well as a quiet nod of agreement from the adults. Tracy took Hugh's hand and sat him down on the couch while Mario and Anne went up to his room to play on his iPad for a bit. Tracy was swooning over Hugh, who was struggling not to react. He loved the closeness of Tracy, she gave him a warm feeling inside that felt amazing to him. The family simply relaxed and didn't do much at all. George gave Hugh the stink-eye that all fathers gave to suitors for their daughters, Hugh didn't notice it or else he would have moved away and gone up to Mario's room with Anne. Tracy had her head on Hugh's shoulder which he didn't notice, but he did notice her putting her hand in his hand and tried to move it away. This movement was enough to satisfy George that he wasn't trying to take advantage of his daughter. It was the first time he had to deal with boys who weren't family, Emily was dating Simon and being like his father before him the boy was keen to get on George's good side. Tracy did look like she really did like Hugh and it wasn't a simple bit of puppy love, but it wasn't full on love either. Anne and Mario bonded while playing on the iPad. Anne asked why he was adopted, to which he told her, "Mom and dad had me so they could stay in the country. They didn't want me and when they were unable to use me for money they dumped me on other family members. My grandparents took me in but when they died I got put into foster care. My parents kept saying I wasn't theirs but they claimed me as their son and the police came for them over lying about me living there. They fled the country without me and went to dad's family home, I got stuck in the worst foster homes in the state because of getting sick a lot and nobody wanting me. Mom found me and took me in and adopted me. Dad got a bad cancer that made it so he can't make more kids so he sees me as his son even if I'm Latino and he's white. They love me more than my real parents ever did. Mom loved me enough to see that she wanted to be a mom again so is having a baby in a couple of months, dad might not be its 'real' dad but he said that he loves it as much as he loves me and Emily and Tracy." Anne nodded at hearing that, it's just like her story but without a baby. She told him her story and got a hug from him, she did understand him more than anyone else. They weren't the only adopted kids who were orphaned by social services in the family but they were the most recent and closest in age. Anne gave Mario an ear to listen to, even if he'd never admit that he was happy that she would do that for him. She had a good personality and was gentle with him, her mistreatment by kids in school was at play and made her appreciate the good qualities of others. Mario was a good person, he just needed to find a way of showing it to others outside the family. Lunch was quiet, with Hugh and Tracy sitting next to one another and Tracy occasionally rubbing her foot against his just to have contact with him. Emily saw that but didn't dare say anything, the look on her sister's face was worth swallowing the potential blackmail material. She did love that her sister was in the process of blossoming into a woman, next up were breasts and periods, which Emily would have more fun teasing her about than having a boyfriend ever would. When the meal was finished, the family watched the football game on TV and saw Anne and Hugh in shock as they saw Mitch on the TV talking about the New England Patriots players with the local football analysts. It was interesting to see that the man they had met was famous and even a big-time player for years for the team yet was nice and showed that he cared about his family. The two looked at the adults for a clarification, Violet groaned and complained, "Uncle Mitch used to play for the Patriots. He got hired by Channel 10 to be their lead analyst. The other guy used to say a lot of bad things about Uncle Mitch and gets laughed at for his idiocy by everyone who watches them. It's one of the funniest shows on TV during the season, the guy is outmatched and always wrong." They enjoyed a quiet afternoon, with Mario and Anne sitting together in silence as they played on his iPad and enjoyed some videos that their cousins were raving about. It was sweet and was helping Mario a lot as Anne was allowed to get closer to him than any others. Their parents were happy that the two were so close so quickly, they hoped it was going to last but accepted if they drifted apart. After the game, the family split up. Anne hugged and kissed Mario while Hugh hugged Tracy and saw her kissing him on the lips causing him to gasp for breath. Emily had to lead Tracy away while Hugh was led out by BJ and Ophelia, all three teens shaking their heads but smiling at her boldness. At home, Hugh lay on his bed and felt great about how the day went. Thinking about Tracy made him react physically, causing him to feel weird but also good. It was the start of his jump into puberty, the little boy was becoming a man thanks to Tracy kick-starting his hormonal overload. The next day, Anne woke up refreshed and feeling good. Hugh was happier and didn't let Anne teasing him about having a girlfriend bother him. BJ and Ophelia were in good moods as well, their friends were all happy that they were home and not in any trouble after Ophelia's scare. Elise's friends asked about her weekend and loved hearing about the football game and meeting the full Finn family. Anne wasn't happy to say that she was being summoned by her great-great aunt and uncle but the kids snickered and the girls explained, "They are really nice. She looks tough but is the nicest old lady you will ever meet. You are lucky to be related to them, everyone in the city is jealous of you!" Anne was one of them now, with the girls bringing her into their inner circle of friends with Elise being re-introduced to their circle. They had an even number now, Elise was usually the odd one out at things but now Anne gave them an even number and cause for more fun. They planned a sleepover and a trip to the mall to get out of the house, provided they were cleared by their parents first. Hugh got to help out Tracy and the teens as they had the end of quarter tests coming up fast. He was able to show that he was more than just a pretty face as Tracy joked, he was a good teacher too. The teens were all ears whenever he tutored them, especially as he could explain things that they struggled with that their teachers tried several times to explain. He did have to deal with Eli and his antics, but Eli started to temper his possessiveness of Hugh. Hugh got him to talk with him about things and asked why he never played with Miles Jr. or Ryder or Mario as the three were his cousins and the same age. It was odd that he didn't do that, they were related to him but he was never with them and acted like they weren't all that close to him despite their parents being close to one another. Eli looked down in shame and confessed, "Miles and Ryder and Mario have normal families. They don't have to listen to people whispering about them or their parents. Mom and dad love us but it's tough to listen to people always reminding me that my mom was once like me down below. Now that Liv is becoming a girl too they talk about me being next. I hate that. They don't need me to be around them, they have enough troubles. Mario is scared of everyone but they like him, while Ryder's dad is rich and has a great job that takes them a lot of fun places. They don't need me around them." He was in tears now, Hugh had gotten him to confess his deepest, darkest secret and the true cause of why he acted the way he did. He asked the hovering Jaimie Samuels, "Is he going to be alright?" Jaimie smiled and offered a warm, "He will be better now. He just needed to talk to someone about this. He is wrong, his cousins will stand with him. Miles and Ryder are going to be upset at him for thinking that way. Mario will be happy that Eli actually thinks that of him, he needs Eli as much as Eli needs him." Jaimie lifted up the sniffling Eli and took him to his room to talk privately. Hugh went back home but didn't tell Paige or Bryan why he was back so early. A text from Jaimie satisfied their curiosity leading to the two to hug Hugh and show him that he did a good job especially for keeping is confidence. Eli started to ease up after that. Jaimie got him to start getting closer to Mario and made him a happy boy in the process. Both Miles and Ryder were upset at Eli but showed that they wanted him as a friend despite others trying hard to separate them. The Smiths would spend a lot of time working on friendships and relationships as time wore on. Anne had fully entrenched herself among the girls and enjoyed playing with them at their houses. She was a pleasant guest and got the girls to act like ladies and not rambunctious animals, making her friends' parents happy and earning Anne the respect and admiration of more adults. Elise was her best friend, with the two doing everything together. They would perform ballet and take martial arts classes together, with Anne doing well on both but with Elise actually outperforming her. Anne actually caused a couple of the girls to act feminine and try new things they refused to try before, with Elise smiling each time one of the girls found herself enjoying being girly and less masculine. With the kids in school and entrenched with friends, Pete and Bryan sought out jobs in their chosen field of city planning. They weren't out of work for long as the cities of Everett and Malden needed new city planners and they were both ready to take over the job and were completely detached from the cities that they were immovable and not going to let city politics push them around. They were also just what the two cities needed and got both put on notice that one of them would be the new Winnisimmet city planner when the current one retired or was fired, whichever came first. Monica Porter spent a week away from the school but the urge to cause trouble overtook her logic and caused her to have words with Anne while she was waiting for the delayed Hannah. Anne asked her why she was so angry at her, she didn't know her and had never spoken to her before. Her truthful little question had unintentionally opened up a can of worms that Monica couldn't help spreading all over. Monica screamed at her, "You freaks don't belong around kids! You steal our boys, make us look bad for talking the truth about how fake your bodies are and make others hate us for daring to speak the truth. You are perverts, it's only a matter of time before you hurt my daughter!" Anne was in tears but her friends defended her. The loudest supporter was the one whose vocal insults shocked Monica the most- her own daughter, Brooklyn Sanders. She looked at the angry nine-year-old Brooklyn and could see the hatred in her eyes, Monica had unleashed the Porter family temper in Brooklyn and it wasn't pretty. Monica smacked her daughter for daring to stand up to her and making her look bad in front of all of the other parents. Brooklyn didn't say a word, just rubbed her face and turned to Anne to show that she was going to be alright. She smirked at Anne, it was a sign that things were about to explode. Brooklyn solemnly told Anne, "Daddy is going to hear about this. Mom was told to stay away from here but she obviously couldn't be bothered to follow the law. Grandpa Shea told me to covered my back just in case mom tried something, well he's going to hear the truth." Brooklyn turned to her mother and happily stated, "I'm calling daddy right now. He needs to know that you have been arrested for trespassing. Mrs. King called the police as soon as she saw you trying to get close to Anne, that's why she isn't out here confronting you. You were barred from ever setting foot on school grounds but by the looks of the officers coming right for you, the order is going to be enforced hard. Sgt. Perez isn't happy with you, he told daddy that if you got caught here again the city would ask for you to go to prison and force any judge to keep you there!" Brooklyn had a bigger grin and dropped a big bombshell on her mother, "Daddy is also going to be given a special video I made of you. It's one where you and a couple of the neighbors have sex while daddy was out at a conference. I had Gruncle Ricardo look over your prenuptial agreement and found some juicy bits that mean you are in a lot of trouble. Something about infidelity and being sent to jail voiding your agreement so when daddy divorces you, you don't get a penny from him. Since you tried to hurt me, he will ensure that I never have to see you again. Goodbye mom, don't bother trying to contact me again because I don't want to hear from you. You already cost me my friendship with Liv, I don't want to lose friendships with my other friends!" Monica tried to run but was caught immediately by the school resource officer then Sgt. Fabian Perez arrested Monica on charges of trespassing, assault on a minor, and violating a restraining order. Monica was in tears but none of those who saw her believed they were real, she was a master of faking all of her reactions to garner sympathy from you in order to gain something. Fabian know her tricks all too well, she hadn't changed one bit in the past 18 years and was still the oversexed, arrogant, conniving girl who terrorized the high school and made Jaimie Finn miserable for four years. As Monica was led away in handcuffs, Brooklyn turned away with tears in her eyes while Elise and Anne hugged her. Elise whispered to Anne, "She is our 3rd-cousin, her grandpa is married to grandma's cousin. She's family but her mom hates our family." The girls hugged until Hannah came and asked what happened. She called Brooklyn's father, Jeffry Sanders, and was told to take her to her house and he'd talk with Ricardo about a divorce. Monica may not have wanted her daughter to be part of the Finn Family, but he wasn't about to deny her the right to know her family nor would he refuse the help of them in order to protect Brooklyn. The divorce was swift as Brooklyn had made multiple videos of Monica having sex with neighbors over the course of the past year. It was tough to watch, but it was clear that Monica didn't care one bit about her husband and had used Brooklyn as a way of obtaining money from him so she could live the high life on his hard work. He had to go on frequent business trips and work long shifts to broker multiple deals but it was all for his family, a family that was imploding under Monica's infidelity. Jeffry was asked to speak with Karen Smith about his employment and was given an offer that he couldn't refuse- replacing her as the fourth partner at York, Nelson, Smith, and Finn when she departed to take over the Smith family's estate. He was also told that he had shown that he is family even if he had not met them beyond Elise. He would be a fool to refuse the offer, it was for more money and no travel making him able to take part in Brooklyn's life again. Brooklyn begged Jeffry to accept, with him barely able to refuse. Brooklyn celebrated by calling her grandparents to thank them for giving her back her father but was told that he was the best person to replace Karen. The fact that he was the father of Karen's cousin's granddaughter was beside the point. Brooklyn would slowly get integrated into the family and get to know her cousins, both from her aunt Rosalind and uncle Ashley Byrn-Toro and from her new aunts Stephanie and Trina Porter-Phillips and Aunt Avery and Uncle Raul Porter. The whole of Porter branch of the family grew closer due to the inclusion of Jeffry and Brooklyn, with Brooklyn earning her grandmother's praise for keeping the family close by staying close with Anne. It was easy for Brooklyn as she actually loved Anne as her cousin even more than as a friend, with the two girls playing together whenever they could especially as Brooklyn's father had to do something at work. Monica saw her bank account wiped out by her infidelity, especially as her lovers turned against her and blamed her for causing them to stray from their wives. It was all a total load of garbage, but it was enough to cause her to lose everything. She ended up being sentenced to prison for another five years, with the judge insisting that she serve the full term and was barred from any contact with any member of her family especially Brooklyn. Jeffry took no pride in seeing her hauled away, but it was her own doing and she had damaged his reputation and harmed Brooklyn with her actions. Hannah turned her attention to writing her next children's book and got her inspiration from Anne's story. It would be an allegory for abuse and not letting people push you around, with the storyline becoming so intense that she decided to just make it into a solid young adult novel and use an up-and-coming artist to illustrate the story. She worked with Cat Finn to develop the story and had her join her in co-authoring the book and its subsequent series, giving Cat her big break in the publishing world. Hannah never had to work again due to a large number of royalties from her various book series and licensing deals, but she still felt the urge to contribute so acted as Cat's ghostwriter and closest adviser and confidant, after her husband that is. She and the two Finns were closer than anyone could have thought and from her guidance Cat built up her own highly successful book series while her husband helped edit the books of several colleagues. She was enjoying helping new authors so much that she ended her own series and turned to teaching as a way of encouraging and nurturing future writers to follow their dreams and not give up hope. Paige wasn't as lucky as Hannah as she couldn't find work for months. She helped the kids of the family with their schoolwork and ensured that their friends were never for want of support in school but beyond that, she struggled. In her eyes, her place was in the classroom not in the home and it pained her to see so the kids going off to school while she wallowed away at home in self-pity. In winter she was given a substitute teaching job at one of the elementary schools, taking over for a sick colleague whose condition wasn't improving. When her colleague died, she was asked to continue on teaching while the school looked for a permanent replacement. It stung her deeply that she wasn't even being considered for the job, but she couldn't argue with the logic of searching for someone who may be more qualified to each than her. The problem was, the job search was just a ruse to prevent Paige from retaining the job. The principal had already decided on a candidate who was fresh out of college and had no offers of employment and was looking at offers in a distant school district- his own son. It stung Paige to hear that she was not hired because a younger, more connected man was hired over her despite her qualifications for the job. This didn't sit well with the teachers of the city when the truth was revealed to all at the union meeting and led to the union filing a grievance on Paige's behalf with the family's multiple teachers leading the cause. She had to endure questioning from the city but it was clear that she was the better choice given that she was a resident, had years of preexisting teaching experience, and had a higher degree than her counterpart making the city demand that his employment be rescinded and she be given the job and a letter of apology for ignoring her qualifications. Paige accepted the job offer and was happy to know that she wouldn't be teaching any of the kids of the family as Eli, Mario, Liv, Ryder, Miles, and Quinn went to another school. She feared having them in her class, especially as she wasn't afraid to clash with the kids over homework and behavior. They were pleased that she got the job and would be close by, it was for the best in their eyes. BJ and his sister Ophelia reaped the rewards of having their parents back by seeing the guys and girls who were throwing themselves at them drop off, especially when the guys saw how big Bryan was and how protective he could be as they challenged him. The first month saw two ending up with broken arms from Bryan pulling them off of an upset Ophelia while another two ended up with broken noses from the punches Ophelia threw at them for getting too frisky with her. Few dared to challenge her after that, fearing the physical outcome more than the social isolation that would always follow. Among the various guys who tried to win over the heart of Ophelia, one stood above all others, her cousin Harry's girlfriend's twin brother, Malcolm Dougal. He impressed Bryan when the two met for the first time and his reaction to Ophelia was one of amazement, not lust. The two were allowed to date which was both a blessing and a curse for the boy as everyone who knew him was trying to warn him to take things slow and not rush them or he'd end up hurt in multiple ways. Malcolm didn't need that warning as Bryan made things clear that he would not allow any shenanigans and if he hurt Ophelia, the boy would be hurt himself. The two grew close and on prom night junior year, she gave him the night of his life. He refused to have sex with her but that didn't stop her from giving him a pleasure that nobody could. The couple graduated near the top of their class and went to the same college together, majoring in the same major and graduating with degrees in geology. It was an odd choice but the two loved science and kept their decisions from their families lest they are forced to study what others in the family did. She was lucky as her family was proud of her for standing on her own and allowing him to do the same. They married after college and would go on to have two children. Both were the spitting image of their parents and gave their grandparents a run for their money as they took after their aunts in all the wrong ways. Bryan and Paige groaned that it was payback for their joking about their parent's reactions to BJ and Ophelia acting the same way but it was just their ancestors' personalities living on in them. BJ had a tougher time than his twin sister, but that was because he was always "flying solo" while his sister and cousins were dating others. He tried to get Lucy Paine to date without him but she was too much in love with him to ever "cheat" on him. He cried frequently when she told him that, it meant the world to him to know that he had found someone who would put off love to wait for him. The couple talked every weekend with BJ feeling terrible after each call but always brightening up as she would send him pictures of herself every day. His friends didn't believe that he was actually dating her and thought she was some model that he hired to send pictures. It got annoying to hear but it didn't matter overall- Lucy's love for him did. The two spent all of their time together over his Christmas break then as much time as was possible during February and April vacations with her in school but enough to satisfy them for the next two months. Both were in tears as they parted each trip, with Bryan always failing to get her to come to Winnisimmet for her own half-term break. The money wasn't the problem, it was leaving him after the break ended that was the real problem for her. He was at his lowest when prom came around. All of his cousins and friends had dates but he couldn't bring himself to ask someone who he didn't have feelings for. They forced him to attend anyway, he would regret not going. He needed Anne to keep him from refusing to go as only her pleading looks and irrefutable logic kept him from ignoring all pleas from his sister and parents. When he was finally dressed to their father's satisfaction, he was told to go downstairs and wait. When he got down there, he nearly fainted. Lucy was standing before him in a beautiful blue sequined dress, with her hair styled and her face made up to perfection. He was at a loss for words and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek and asking, "How? Why did you come? You are missing school." Lucy explained, "Your parents asked that I come. I don't have any work due and my parents agreed to let me come. None of them wanted you to miss out on something so special." The two got into the awaiting limousine with Malcolm and Ophelia having to hide their smiles at the cute sight and swiftly arrived at the prom to all eyes on them. Lucy's presence caused a stir among the students as she was simply breathtaking and might have been the most beautiful girl there. The girls were jealous and the guys were leering at her, making their dates angry or feel inadequate next to her. The two danced closely throughout the night while BJ had to endure guys constantly trying to cut-in and dance with Lucy. She politely declined, it was clear what their intentions were and it wasn't what she wanted to do. Their girlfriends and dates weren't happy either, Lucy did get some respect from the girls but there was some jealousy in their reactions. When they did take a short break, BJ was asked about Lucy. He happily told them that she was his girlfriend and had flown all the way to Boston just to give him a memorable prom. They didn't believe it and several started to make claims of her being a prostitute and that she was just some girl hired from Boston putting on a fake British accent for the crowd. BJ just smirked while John Finn happily announced, "I've known that girl since she was born and she is in no way a prostitute. She's a lovely young woman whose parents are employed by BJ's family and who is here at my request. She is staying with me so don't get any ideas about the two going off to a hotel tonight. Her family is highly protective of her and if he even thought about sleeping with her he would be set adrift in the North Sea in a leaky boat with no life vests by her father- with his parent's blessing and encouragement." Lucy heard all of that and hugged John, who happily told her, "I seriously can't believe that you got your father's looks and your mother's wits. Woe be the person who upsets you, your mother is one of the few people I fear. She and my wife are the scariest combinations of minds imaginable. You are the most stunning young woman I've encountered and the perfect suitor for BJ." The couple had an amazing prom and led to BJ spending the summer with Lucy at the estate. She was treated like she was more than an employee's daughter, she was all but officially part of the family. The two enjoyed hours together as they rode horses, swam, shopped, and met with Lucy's friends. After a tense final year apart that included BJ and Lucy trading trips across the ocean, the couple was wed at the estate. They refused to wait, they wanted to be together and Lucy needed the stability in her life now that she needed to find employment. BJ arranged for her to study in the US and through that she was able to study medicine and become a doctor. BJ studied the same and earned his MD alongside his wife but in different disciplines. She became a general practitioner while he studied radiology. They added onto the growing family medical practice as the newest members at Sarah Jones' private practice. The couple would have four kids, with the family welcoming in a little girl who fought for years but lost her battle with her femininity and needed to become a boy. Lucy was devastated to lose one of her two daughters, especially the one who was her spitting image, but understood that it was not a choice and she needed to be he. They loved their son all the same and were happy that they had four handsome and beautiful children who would carry on their family legacy as Smiths. Over in England, things took a turn for the worse for the Smith family as Bradford passed away in early Febuary and was soon followed two days later by his beloved wife Ophelia. Nigel and Karen Smith inherited their titles and the estate and officially retired from their jobs in the US to take over the family estate. With heavy hearts, the large Smith family interred Ophelia and Bradford together in the family crypt with everyone crying hard as the greatest era in the family's history had come to a close. When Bradford and Ophelia's wills were read, their grandchildren found out that they would split their grandparent's trusts equally between them. Nigel Jr. was then informed that he was going to be given the family's secondary title, Early of Boston, as his own as he had not been given the chance to become his father's heir due to his older brother Ethan being adopted into the line of succession ahead of him. Nigel Jr. tried to refuse it as it was rightfully Ethan's, but his siblings refused to allow him to give up what was his own now that Ethan was the heir and had his own title the secondary was unneeded. Nigel's girlfriend, Patricia, told him to accept it as it was his family's legacy and they wanted him to make it his own. He reluctantly accepted the title and officially became the newest Earl of Boston and asked Patricia to become his countess. She tearfully accepted his proposal, giving him a loving kiss as she wept with happiness. With the teens finding love, the Smith estate housekeeper asked her daughter and Theo Baker if they were going to stop fooling around and tie the knot. She was blunt, but she had a good reason for doing what he was doing- she was looking to retire and move on with her life. She was hoping to get the line of succession solidified so she could leave her job to her daughter, the undisputed #1 maid at the estate. Theo had to wait two months before he found the courage to ask her to marry him, with the young lady saying, "Yes" and crying as he did so. The two moved in together, with both becoming pregnant a month after they were married. Theo continued on for six months before he was promoted to being the head of operations for the estate, with a new butler replacing him. Theo accepted the promotion, he couldn't serve as a butler if he was visibly pregnant and dealing with the guests complaining about the insulting visual that he presented to them. Nigel and Karen saw in him something more than a butler, he was more talented than he let on and had enough experience to run the entire estate alongside them. He was good at his new job, especially when Nigel decided that the butler position was no longer needed now that they were no longer obligated to endure the rituals of hosting other nobles when and other rich people as they had few ties to the aristocracy anymore. Theo and his wife had three happy and healthy kids, one each then his wife having a second at the kids' request for a younger sibling; the two oldest being so much alike that they were claimed to be twins. When the kids were told the truth about their father, they took it in stride and were happy to know that they were loved enough to have had them in the first place. Their youngest was so happy to know the truth that she said her real dad was Theo no matter if he wasn't biologically. Clarence Harrison found himself out of work and struggling to get anyone to look at his CV as nobody would hire a butler or any other member of the household who had a criminal record and who had lied in court, falsely accused their former employer of sexually abusing a minor, and tried to extort others for gain. It was a big eye-opener as the man was left without any real job as his only marketable skills were as a servant but he had proved that he was a likely danger to his employers ending any chances of reasonable employment. He would find work as a waiter at various restaurants throughout Greater London. He suffered greatly as his ego wouldn't let him stay in a job for long and saw him frequently switching locations to avoid creditors and angry employers. His actions would catch up to him eventually as he ended up going to prison for fraud, theft, and failure to pay his taxes, making him get stuck in a cycle that his own actions were constantly creating until he finally went too far and defrauded the wrong people- ending up dead from having stolen from organized crime members who beat him to death as penalty. James Benson and George Hedges were arrested in the courtroom after Paige and Bryan were granted the right to adopt Anne. Max Evans went at them heavy and hard, charging them with multiple counts of fraud, embezzlement, kidnapping, extortion, assault, and tax evasion. Every penny that they had in their bank accounts went into paying Anne back what they had siphoned from her inheritance account but they had a lot of money missing and spent even more trying to fight back against the legal might of Jonas Bloomfield and his associates, particularly the vicious Arthur and Isla Evans. Hedges' girlfriend didn't last long under pressure from the police. She turned against him and told all about the times that Hedges asked her to seek out information about a child and even against parents who were targeted by the duo for extortion. Hedges never repaid her for all of the invasions of privacy but did leave her on the hook for all of the flak that she received. She was fired from her job and forced to find employment with her family. It turned out to be for the best as her parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings were all doctors while she wasn't blessed with the same level of intelligence as them. She slowly earned the trust of the family after getting retrained and in a job that was less demanding and away from patients but similar to what she had done. With nobody to use as scapegoats, Benson and Hedges were at odds over their crimes and turned on one another as soon as it was clear that they were about to be convicted on all charges. They were grilled on the witness stand as the crown prosecutor went after them hard and heavy with every piece of ammunition that they had and cut their claims to shreds. Each was shown to have known what the other had been doing to the point that both were equally guilty of their crimes. Despite pleading for mercy, the court took none. The duo was sentenced to 25 years in prison, making it essentially a life sentence. Both broke down as the judge sentenced them, their egos badly broken. The smaller children at the group foster home that Anne was initially assigned to were examined and found to have been kidnapped by the duo through falsifying paperwork or outright extorting their parents into signing over the kids to social services' care. The others were a mix of juvenile delinquents or kids who were never in the system and lived there because they paid a fee to Benson and Hedges. The larger boys terrorized the smaller boys into a hierarchy among them that kept things quiet and kept the kids from going to other houses for fear of what the larger boys would do to them. The boys who were actually in the care social services were split up and sent to different foster homes, with the vulnerable smaller boys put in a special home set up for the care of endangered children. The smaller boys thrived in their new, safer environments and spoke out against their mistreatment by all, particularly by the larger, more abusive boys. They were not afraid anymore and told about all of the terrorism that the boys had endured and explained that they were in fear of their lives that no longer did so now that they had people actually trying to help them. The boys who assaulted and terrorized the endangered boys were sent to proper juvenile detention facilities after a review of their possessions and actions outside of the home showed that they were a constant source of criminal activities in and around the Oldham area. The boys were known to several police officers, all of whom were prosecuted for taking bribes and committing sexual acts with the boys in exchange for looking the other way. With the boys either incarcerated or undergoing treatment, there was a visible drop in petty crimes as simple thefts of jewelry and wallets went down while the officers' beats were shown to have had a drop in crimes directly linked to the boys' actions. Virginia Golden was found to have stolen much of the money that Benson had siphoned off from Anne and was charged with larceny. She tried to claim that Benson had done it himself, but as he was in prison at the time many of the last transactions took place she was found guilty and convicted. She swore revenge against Anne and the Smiths but with no way of getting at them from across the Atlantic and no resources to pay anyone to get at the family her threats were all hot air. She suffered the greatest indignity as she was pregnant at the time of her imprisonment and saw her newborn son taken by social services and placed into the care of Darcy Mills as nobody could be found to take him in on such short notice. Darcy bonded with him and found it tough to part with the newborn child, looking into his needy eyes and crying at the thought of him going to another family. She filed for adoption, insisting on him staying with her as she had fallen in love with the handsome baby boy. Darcy would spend a lot of time with Ruby and Max Evans as they helped her deal with parenthood. Max and Darcy talked a lot as he showed her many secrets he learned about parenting from helping his own nieces and nephews, getting him to open up to her about feeling like he wasn't good enough to be related to his brother. The more they talked the closer they got and the more their friendship changed to something that was more than friendship. After weeks of talking, Darcy grew bold and kissed Max deeply which led to an hour-long kissing session which was only broken by the sound of Darcy's foster son awakening. The two would go on multiple dates before Max slept with Darcy, which was followed by several months of dates and nights out and at home with the sleeping infant in Darcy's arms giving the two a sense of happiness with one another. Max waited for a sign to show him that Darcy was the one for him, getting it when he came home to find Darcy crying and holding a positive pregnancy test prompting him to smile and propose. Max married Darcy and together, they adopted her foster son. Darcy would go on to have another boy then a year after that a little girl. Their marriage was stable as both were deeply in love and were happy to have their three kids, with all three kids taking after their parents in their personalities. Max and Darcy would prompt Toby Ward to get closer to Ruby as his crush grew larger and larger to the point that he couldn't stop thinking about her. She took little notice of it and kept their relationship professional. After months of trying to talk with Ruby socially, Toby gave up and was on the verge of putting in his resignation to take a job with another borough so he didn't cause an issue for her. Ruby heard about his attempt to transfer and asked him why he was leaving. He couldn't look at her but confessed, "I like you, Ruby. I like you a lot. But I can't work with you as you have rejected all of my attempts to get you to see me as more than a colleague. I don't want to continue as it would violate HR standards and cause you to get upset with our department again and likely cost me my job for sexual harassing you. I'm sorry, but I have to leave for the benefit of both of us." Ruby felt horrible about him feeling that way and agreed to a date with him, just so he could clear his mind and let his feelings go. The plan was to let him down easily, but as the date went on Ruby actually felt a connection to Toby that had been missing in all of her previous dates. Toby would listen to you and make you feel like the most important person in the world while not talking much about himself. The two dated for two months before Toby asked her to marry him. She was in tears as he asked, she had wanted to marry a boy since she was a little girl and feared that she'd never get the chance. She had to take a few seconds before she kissed him full on the lips and said, "Yes! 1000 times yes!" The couple wed over a delightful June weekend on an island in the Caribbean. She had Darcy as her maid of honor while Toby had Max as his best man. The two spent a month away from the office and when they returned, Ruby was pregnant with twins. The couple would have two more children after the fraternal twins were born. Ruby took to mothering fast and found herself enjoying it more so than social work. She cut back her employment at the office but did assist when things were hectic and they needed another person to help, it helped a great deal that she and her brother had hefty trust funds from when they were in foster care and denied being adopted by the Evans family making her not even need to work in the first place. Hugh completed his preliminary classes quickly and became a full-time student that January. He was the talk of the school for a week but the connections to major donors and the fact that he earned his spot in the school quelled any rumors about him not deserving to be there. He was a good student, but the life of an academic bored him to the point that he vowed to not go into teaching when he earned his Ph.D. in computer programming. His relationship with Tracy turned heads at her school as boys took a stronger interest in her while her non-family friends tried to get her to break up with him. She stood firm and rejected all of them, telling them that she loved Hugh and if they had a problem with his being a genius and in college then they were not the friends that she believed them to be. Most backed away from her in disgust, but a few stood by her and were happy to see that she was dating someone who obviously liked her for herself and not for her beauty or family's wealth. To the shock of the school, Jae was the one who helped her the most. The two found common ground in what the girls of their school were doing and found Jae helping Tracy through the feelings of being all alone without "real friends." Jae shed tears and told her that it was how she felt every day, especially now that nobody could gain anything from being friends with. The two started to get closer to the point that Tracy told her, "I love you, cousin. You aren't like Claire or Lilly or the other girls. This is what I hoped you'd be- my friend, not just my cousin." The two turned over a new leaf and joined Claire and Lilly as a powerful foursome in their school. The girls were like their parents in many ways, especially as they were reflections of their personalities but had the added benefit of their grandparent's calming influence. Jae thrived with Tracy as a friend, with Lilly and Claire both happy to be there for them when they needed them. As Hugh worked on his degree he was also freelancing with the game developer that Margaret Kelly was employed with. His redesigns and contributions were so good that he was hired to work for the company full-time and offered an internship with them so he could hone his skills while also earning college credit. He enjoyed the hunter aspect of game design as he could find bugs that others would miss and often rewrite the code to be better and more in line with how the artists had envisioned the game to look like. He was highly popular among Tracy's friends and would make their brothers, fathers, and uncles look bad as they joked about him then played games that he had a hand in developing or pointing out the glaring bugs that the designers had missed. They were left without responses and on more than a few occasions saw them try to harm Hugh for besting them in their insults. The girls were firmly in his corner and would angrily go to their mothers and aunts about the way Hugh was treated and complain that it was not how guys should act especially toward a friend who was helping them. Hugh's sisters, Camilla and Clara, refused to ever believe that their skinny, awkward, introverted geek of a brother was capable of landing a girlfriend for a long time. When they met Tracy during one of the family trips to the UK both girls nearly fainted as the stories were both true and made them look like they were terrible people. Beau Smith took great pride in pointing out to his daughters that they were acting like terrible people and making their brother refuse to ever have anything to do with either of them again, leading to both girls to back off of Hugh and leave him alone. Their truce didn't last long as they would find anything possible to trash about Tracy. She wasn't about to let two pampered princesses get the better of her and ensured that both were thrashed verbally and looked even worse in the eyes of every member of their family present, humiliating the girls in ways that would go down in the annals of history. Tracy had staked her claim to her boyfriend and would not allow anyone to belittle him in her presence. Hugh got to experience the small things about school life through Tracy, such as dances and the prom. Tracy loved showing him off to her classmates and made many of them jealous as he started to grow to be a bigger man than anyone could have dreamed. He was even larger than his father, Beau, by the time that he earned his first degree at age 16. He went on to start in on his master's degree while Tracy graduated high school, with the two going to the same college and featuring Hugh as her constant companion to classes and for study sessions. She wasn't as book smart as Hugh but she had a strong intuition and could see a lot of things that others did not see or were purposely ignoring. She had inherited her grandfather Mike's love of law enforcement and chose to become a forensic technician alongside Reyna and Rachel Sylvester, with the couple mentoring her as she improved over time and became one of the best in the state- after them, that is. While earning his masters and Ph.D. degrees, Hugh designed two of the hottest games for the ZBox and AppleSoft computers. The games used the bestseller books by Jessie Wolf and Alecia Snowfall as the basis but added his own twists to the storyline by having the characters adapt to the situations and see the hard work and planning go out the window immediately, making the player have to think on their feet and figure out what to do or they'd perish and have to start again. He worked with Jessie and Alecia personally, as he met the real-life authors and had them give their approval to every aspect of the game. He wasn't surprised to learn that Johanna Loup and Autumn Nieves, the two people whom he had seen several times in his time with Bryan and Paige talking about the Jessie Wolf and Alecia Snowfall books and how he thought they should advance the plot of the next book, were actually the two reclusive authors. The two were pleased that someone could logically link the two, but he had to admit that he suspected something was going on as there were stories that the family told him that was too close to the stories in the two authors' books. Hugh spent hours talking strategy and movements of the APSs in the DeathDealers Saga with Jessie while talking advanced interrogation and the art of sneaking up on sentries with Alecia. It turned out to be some of the most fun times for him as the two were both scientifically sound yet also completely impractical in all of the right ways, showing that they were trying to be entertaining but not trying to teach people to kill. All of the talks ended up in the games to the point that the ladies smiled as characters moved a certain way and took out enemies exactly as they described. The game was the biggest sellers of the year and garnered critical acclaim as well as millions for the two ladies. Neither would dare tell how they got them so realistic but the insiders in the game design community happily pointed to the child prodigy, Hugh. He made himself a nice sum of money himself as he was paid a percentage of the gross sales while also earning a salary and bonus from the game developer and publisher. The couple married after Tracy earned her first degree, with the newlyweds becoming parents almost right away as Tracy refused to delay any longer. They would have four kids, all boys and all a mix of both parents while one specifically took after his father. The two spent countless hours talking and honing his youngest son's skills as a scientist, particularly one who wanted to work with genetics so that people like her aunt Anne wouldn't have to suffer as the wrong gender any longer. Liv and Anne were close and their closeness got Liv new friends as Anne's friends took her in as their own. The few in her class who were friendly with her understood that she had more in common with Anne's class than them so didn't take offense to her being around them as much as she could. Liv grew into her own and actually found her own best friends among the group allowing Anne to lead her own subgroup alongside them and strengthening them as a whole. The girls were inseparable when not in school or with their own friends and often had sleepovers at either house. Eli would frequently be a pain to them, but it was standard little brother actions and it meant that he loved them enough to antagonize them. Anne hugged him every chance she could, just to show that she knew why he was showing that he cared and that she appreciated the effort by him. When Anne started to feel the onset of puberty at age 12, Liv got her to see it was a blessing as she could now save her semen for the future and start blockers and low doses of hormones. When Liv had it happen to her, Anne returned the favor and showed her that things were going to be alright and they'd go through it together. Anne helped Liv through her boy troubles as they would avoid her and try their hardest to annoy her to the point of complaining. Anne saw it as the boys being confused about their sexuality as they saw the two of them as sexual objects yet knew that they had penises yet couldn't look past the two mounds on their chests. Liv blushed as she looked down and agreed that they were tough to miss, especially as she had a large chest thanks to breasts growing large in her genetic family- especially looking at her own biological aunt/adoptive mother Jaimie's own large chest. After several weeks, the girls noticed that one boy, in particular, Jackson Wilson, was acting worse than normal around Liv. Seeing Jackson blush and look away while also acting tough got Anne to realize that he might have a crush on Liv which was too strong to ignore. She gasped at hearing that but did like what she saw as he had a muscular frame yet wasn't a meathead. Elise and Anne got Jackson to confess that yes, he did indeed have a crush on live and that he was having trouble trying to fight it but he couldn't stop thinking about her whenever he was around her or at home. Liv listened to him and felt bad for him, she walked over and hugged him, then kissed his cheek for being a gentleman toward her. She started to talk with him and liked what she was hearing from him, leading her to boldly ask him out. They weren't going alone as Elise and Anne would go too but it turned out to be a great time for both. They grew closer and closer to the point that by their third week together they kissed deeply, showing all that they were an item and he was no longer going to hide his affections for the beautiful girl. Liv was left speechless and gasping for breath while Jackson smiled at her. Anne fought hard against Liv's detractors, especially girls jealous of her having a better boyfriend or landing the boy that they had their eyes on but didn't dare make a move. Elise set most of them straight and forced several to reveal their bigotry and hatred to the school, ending those girls' social lives in a blaze of glory. Anne was going to be targeted by the girls for retaliation but her great-uncle John and the other teacher member of the family ensured that the school knew that Anne was not to be harassed for doing the right thing and making them look bad for actions that they themselves had done. Anne developed quickly once the blockers and hormones took to her system, but was going to be on the small side due to her mother and grandmother each being small breasted. She was still a stunner, growing over six feet tall and staying skinny. She was a naturally attractive girl and had the hearts of boys and a few girls beating fast as she matured. She had a struggle over her sexuality until she was 15, finally admitting to her parents that she loved women and finding one of her friends attractive to the point of wanting sex with her. Anne had to quell her feelings as the girls in her school were either ignoring her or weren't interested in a girl they felt was a fake and a man in a dress. It took a lot of talks with Reyna and Rachel before she was able to accept that people were naturally jerks and hated people because they could hate them or were jealous of the good looks and great personalities they possessed. She could accept idiocy, but it still hurt that even lesbians can hate her because of what she wanted to get rid of between her legs. It took her two years but she finally got her first date, one with a beautiful transfer student from the UK by the name of Holly Dixon whose family was fleeing due to her sexuality. The two hit it off and once they had shown that they were not just a quick infatuation, they were allowed to openly date. Liv and Jackson were there as observers but the couple was actually a great match with Anne making Holly's heart flutter as they talked with one another. The couple stayed together after high school and enjoyed attending college together for seven years before they were married. Anne delayed her surgery until she earned her bachelors degree in education as she wanted to get her practicums out of the way and have job offers before having her last vestige of masculinity removed. Holly couldn't persuade her to have it before then, it was Anne's choice and she loved her enough to accept it and support her for it. Holly studied statistics and was hired by the state as a statistician. It was a boring, monotonous job but it paid well and got Holly lots of connections. Anne was happy for her, she was doing what she loved and would not accept any favors nor give anyone any favors. Holly would see the downside of her job as she was constantly given false and misleading numbers that she had to get changed to reflect the facts. This would often cause conflict as those who were trying to show falsehoods would fight her and try to use her wife and her own sexuality against her. Holly never compromised her integrity and would be the one person in the state who had the guts to stand up to the worst offenders in lying to the general public, earning her praise and admiration from the state. They would have three children together, with each carrying the beauty of Anne with Holly's lighter skin tone and fiery red hair. They were the apple of their mothers' eyes and made their grandparents run for cover as they had Anne's compassion and quick defense of others while having Holly's temper. It was tough to not see the two as evenly matched and perfect for one another when looking at all five. Anne failed to get the Smiths to accept any of her inheritance money. The ?125 million that she wanted to give them was instead put into an account for Anne and Holly's children with Anne being forced to accept her rightful share of her great-grandmother's inheritance. It was enough to never need to work, with Holly insisting that she accept it so they had peace of mind and a fallback in case Anne was laid off by the city or Holly was unable to get hired because of politicians forcing her out. Their kids were never for want as they had everything a kid could want and need but had to earn the right to play their game systems or ride their bikes. The couple was seen as model parents and the few who knew how affluent they were never told anyone why they acted the way they did. The couple was just seen as they were- caring, strongly disciplined, but fair to their children. Anne and Elise grew closer and were rarely apart from one another, except when Anne needed to have a private talk with Liv or Reyna. As they grew older, Anne would always be there for Elise and give her a shoulder to cry on when things weren't going well for her. Far too often, Anne was the only one who could talk Elise out of dating the wrong boys or steer Elise toward the right boy. Elise would fall for one of their classmates, Seth Price, after rejecting his advances for two years, with Anne telling her that she was a fool to not see that they were perfect for one another. The couple grew close and at one of the school dances in 8th grade, they kissed in front of their classmates. Anne was smiling at her the whole time, with Liv and their friends close by for support. Elise and Seth stayed together throughout middle and high school and parted ways in college. Elise studied history and literature and earned a job a curator at a small museum in a neighboring town. Seth didn't marry nor even have sex while at college and returned with a degree and a ring for Elise. He proposed to her immediately after taking her out to dinner and catching up with her. It took all of her energy not to scream out loud but Elise said tearful, "Yes," then kissed him deeply. She showed him off to the family and had him endure Pete giving him the tough father act while Hannah smirked and gave him the even tougher mother act. They would go on to have four children and run the museum Elise was hired at when the head curator died. When it was merged into a larger museum in Boston, the couple were promoted to head curator and head of facilities and were one of the go-to duos for major museums in the region as well as the country. The two never fell out of love and always kept close to their friends, particularly Anne. Seth and Elsie would have five children, with the eldest being twins thus continuing the family curse of multiples along the female line. The two were swamped by their children's activities but found a balance as their friends and family happily helped, especially as they were not afraid to take them along to museum fundraisers and events. The couple was closely tied to the small art and history community that they were able to broker special events involving their aunts' and uncles' hard work and bringing new respect to their family via the public seeing that there was more to the name "Finn Family" than just transgender people and money. Anne and Elise carried on their mothers' closeness and showed that even though they weren't blood, they were still close as sisters. The two would never stray from their friendships, despite the occasional fight or boys trying to come between them. They were family and had found each other. They would never part, it was simply the one thing neither could ever do. The End.