A Family Find Part 3 free porn video

Back at home, the ladies awaited the results of the double-date. Becky drove to their house and pulled the couple aside and blurted out, "He kissed me! He didn't make-out with me, he gave me one kiss and that was only at the end of the date! He wouldn't let me put my hand down his pants nor would he put his in mine. I tried to let him feel my breasts and he refused." Devon looked over at Brice who mumbled a timid, "She did the same to me. I let her do it to me. I liked it too much to stop her. I liked how she felt and loved her moist hole. I pulled away but she smiled at me and tried to put it back. I think she wanted me to masturbate her in the theater!" Cora wisely told him, "She's fighting her hormones. She wants to do more but you aren't ready. I doubt that she even realizes what she did and why it's wrong to do it. She likes you a lot, but you don't have to do what you don't want to do and you are too young for a lot of what she tried to do." Becky smiled at her brother but Cora told her, "Don't bug him about this. He showed a hell of a lot more maturity than any boy there, save your boyfriend. He's not ready to do more, you might be but he isn't." She hugged him and kissed his cheek, then teased him, "You are going to put all of the other boys on the fast track to being men the way you treat Ivy. She needs a gal-talk but Devon and Patty can do that for her. I'll talk with her too, but I don't think she'd want to talk with her boyfriend's sister." The duo left, with Marty wisely telling the girls, "He's doing a lot to keep himself together. He's looking tired and twitching and is going fall asleep in seconds as soon as he's home. He doesn't need either of you annoying him about this. It's tough on boys, especially ones under scrutiny like him." The girls went upstairs to sleep while Marty gave the ladies a look that told them that he loved being a tough father and uncle. Cora asked if he did that with Timmy and Alton, he shook his head and told the ladies, "They listened to my wife until she gave them bad advice and almost got them arrested when the girls told them 'no' and they didn't listen. The girls' fathers convinced the deputies that the boys weren't trying to hurt the girls but had a long, painful talk with them while boxing. It was the only way that the boys could be harmed by them without getting themselves arrested and it taught them a lesson. He did what I was going to do and did it better than I would have, I owe them a lot for holding back on them." Cora asked if they needed that treatment a second time, he grimaced but explained, "They took up MMA to release pressure from guys trying to get them to bang their girlfriends. The girls heard what they did and dumped them, assuming that they were trying to get at them through their dads. It turned out that the girls were two-timing the boys and their fathers didn't know about it. Their fathers beat the snot out of the other boys, while Timmy and Alton figured that it wasn't worth the drama to continue there. It's too bad that they did, they were pretty good and could have done well in the sport if they wanted to" He sounded disappointed, Cora thought about it and told him, "If they liked it, they should do it again. It wasn't their fault that the girls were sluts and went around their backs. The boys should do what they do and be themselves, especially if they enjoyed it. Give it a chance, they might do well." The next day Ivy and Wanda came by, with Wanda's father Zane asking to talk to Marty about the girls. He braced for the worst, but asked him if the girls were serious or if it was mutual explorations. Marty did a close look at the girls and happily told the man, "They're serious about each other. It's infatuation but the girls moved a bit faster than my sons. They are helping one another, I know your wife is a total scumbag who is intent on using the girls to her advantage so Wendy needs an outlet and Patty is giving it to her. Patty knows the limits, we told her last night via her cousins." The two men sat down and realized that they had a lot in common: infidelity, overbearing wives, a lot of anger over their marriages failing due to no fault of their own. Wendy was an only child, but she had been pretty much his, "Son" in all but genitals since the day she was born. She was the classic tomboy who lived up to the stereotype of being a lesbian, much to his wife Nora's dissatisfaction. Carly acted as the mediator and told the two fathers, "Its a good thing. The girls have a lot in common as I think Wendy's overcompensating with the masculine activities to give you what you wanted but can't have. She's starting to become her own person, her sexuality is just the first part. Next, she'll be into the sports and activities that her mother wouldn't let her do. Patty is the opposite: she's fighting her years of suppressed feelings and trying her hardest to be a girl despite all of us trying to ease her into it. They're going to be key to each other's futures- be it as lovers or as friends." The girls listened and kissed. Ivy hugged both and told them that they were a great couple, with Devon telling both that they were perfect for one another. The girls kissed again, crying into each other's arms. Cora wisely let them get their emotions out, then told the fathers, "Misery loves company. Luck was on their side in both liking girls, but they might be just what the other needed to endure the divorces. I can see it in their eyes, they are both in pain over losing their mothers but don't want to talk about it. Patty has her gender therapist, perhaps Wendy could use a talk with a professional as well." Cora handed him a number to call, with Wendy getting an appointment for Monday and one that wasn't too inconvenient for her after school life. Wendy was apathetic, she told her father, "I expected it. Mom is gone, she won't come back from this. She's going to prison for what she did. I accept that." The girls separated after several hours, their fathers enjoying the girls getting close but not too close for comfort. Ivy's father shook his head at seeing the couple when he picked her up, but it was something he was happy to see even if it looked like Devon was jealous of them. She had a long road ahead of her and needed time to get boys used to her and accept that they weren't gay if they liked her. The next day was tough as both girls were attending school. Marty made the school run with all three of the teens reluctantly going with him. Patty wasn't happy, but she endured as her aunts wouldn't let her stay home any longer and she needed normalcy. At school, Patty got weird looks which only got closer scrutiny as Ivy came running and gave her a big hug then showed her around. Marty let them burn off energy then led Patty and the trio to the office to see Mr. Baldwin The meeting was quick, with Patty being told that she'd have the same restriction that Devon had but would have Ivy to help her at Ivy's demand. Patty was introduced to the class and explained he relationship to Devon and Brice, with Ivy grinning as she dared the usual suspects to say something about her. She was tougher to trash behind her back as she was clearly related to Brice to the point that they could be mistaken for brothers, which made what they said about her likely come back to haunt them. She was close to becoming untouchable, especially as Ivy was taking her under her wing in multiple ways and was known to not take any crap from them. As the day wore on, Patty accidentally asked why the girls looked like they wanted to rip her to shreds. Ivy grinned and told her, "They are jealous of you. They know that you are untouchable due to being one of the Coles, especially the daughter of the eldest Cole. Going after you is social suicide- nobody will be able to be your friend, date, or do business with you if you harm a Cole." Patty snorted and shot back, "I don't like any of these brats. The boys aren't that handsome and the girls aren't that pretty. I'd never date any of these girls anyway, I'm already taken." Her unintentional slip of the tongue caused all eyes to turn to her. Brice told the boys eyeing her, "She is dating Wendy Maverick. They started going out Friday night. They are closer than most of you are to any of your boy and girlfriends, they have a lot in common like their mothers cheating on their dads." Brice's words sent them looking at the news and saw that there were multiple stories online about Zara Maverick having been arrested on charges of DUI and assault on a police officer then had been sent to a hospital for a mental evaluation due to her erratic behavior after claiming to have been in a rush to get home to see her daughter to prevent her from harming herself. Zara was in further trouble as she was with a 17-year-old boy who had his penis out and was being fellated by her which caused her to drive erratically. It got worse as she claimed to not know who he was but he called her by name, with the boy telling them that she had known him for years and had been having sex with him for months. The whole situation got her into a lot of hot water as the boy showed lewd images to the State Police and social services with him telling them that his father was responsible for setting him up and got her to date him as a favor to him for voting a certain way. Her reputation was not only ruined, she had to be held in a secure facility to prevent others from harming her. Zara's dreams of being the next governor were destroyed, there was no way that she could ever come back from that horrible catastrophe. Ivy grinned and told anyone who'd listen that Zara deserved it all. Patty asked how Wendy was taking it which led to Ivy happily telling her that she kept pictures ad hoped to one day use them against Zara as she knew her mother would try to use her for her campaign. She was already going to be divorced, this simply ensured that she was in prison and never able to harm them again. The rest of the day went without incident, especially after Ivy told those who tried to exploit Patty that it was stupid to do so as she'd ensure that they got what they deserved. Patty ignored everyone and only talked with Brice and Devon, with the latter coming when the two were alone in the bathroom. Devon told her to ignore everyone but Ivy, they were only interested in her family's wealth. The two hugged and shared a cry, it was taxing on them but they survived the day together. Both had an ear for the other and both enjoyed being close even if they were different in multiple ways. They had the other's back and would help one another, but their shared anxiety gave them cause to stay close. The highlight of the day was a boy by the name of Gus Hicks was acting weird around Devon. Brice confronted him about it and saw Gus telling him that he felt weird about her and didn't want to say the wrong thing in front of her to upset her. Brice looked at his face and saw that it was more than that- the boy was starting to develop a crush on Devon! After school, he took Gus to the bathroom and demanded to know what he thought about Devon. It was a shock, but he blurted out, "I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm supposed to hate her but I'm just feeling bad about it! There, I said it: I actually like her. Not in that way, I actually like her as a person. I don't feel attracted to her, just feel bad about her and what everyone is doing to her." Brice grinned and happily told him, "She needs friends, not boyfriends. She'd rather have another boy to be her friend than a boyfriend who only wants her for one thing- a blowjob. Try being that boy for her." The two walked out and Devon smiled at him. He smiled back and walked on, with Brice telling her, "It isn't what you think- he's feeling bad for not hating you. He doesn't want to date you, just be your new friend. You need friends, and he's one of the better boys. He kept away from me due to the bullies so it's like having another me around you." He grinned to which Patty joked, "Maybe we can get you right the second time around." Ivy shook her head as he set himself up for the joke, but it was what he needed- Devon felt better. Gus was going to be one of them, it would take a little bit of time to get him around them more often. They were right as he started to slowly get closer to them as the week went on. Being without Wendy as she was stuck doing activities to keep her mind occupied, it was tough for Patty. Gus understood and gave her space, which she rewarded by kissing his cheek causing him to blush deeply. Wendy met them on Friday afternoon, with her telling them that she'd be going to their school as she'd been kicked out of her old school due to her mother's actions. She wasn't upset at saying that, with Ivy telling her that the girls would miss her but were still their friend. When she met Gus, he blushed as she was more, "Mature" than the other girls but Wendy happily told him that she was taken. Devon told him that she and Patty were dating, causing him to nod and smile as it was a good idea and the two looked cute together as they hugged and Wendy kissed her cheek. He looked at Devon who just shrugged, the two were single but neither felt attraction to the other making them platonic and happy to be so. She invited him over to her house to help move Patty's family since the younger teens weren't in the mood to lift all day, with him blushing but needing Brice to tell him, "Grandpa is watching us." That evening, Gus told his parents what he was doing causing them to ask if he was serious. He gave the couple an angry response of, "Of course I'm serious. They are all really great friends and want me around them. They have no need for money, their grandfather is loaded. They want me to hang out with them, they are the first to bother with me in years that didn't involve my being part of their trying to get you to get them cheap fixes of their dads' cars or their ATVs. You know damn well that's the truth: you said so yourself. For once I actually have REAL FRIENDS, not total frauds acting like friends." He had his father Walt there, the man did complain about his, "Friends" taking advantage of Gus. He had to smile at the boy realizing the true nature of people and finding true friendship as opposed to friendly. He gave his son the blessing to go, but keep it chaste with the girls. Blushing deeply, he told his father, "She's no interested in me and the others are taken. Devon's a great girl, but not my girl. She's not into me and I don't want to date yet. I like her, but not in that way." That night, he tried to think about girls but couldn't come up with anything. He tried Devon and Ivy and Patty but none came to his mind. He saw breasts, a vagina, but the face was blank. He masturbated as he did the thinking, but no girl's face came to him confirming that he just liked the girls as friends. In the morning, he greeted the girls with hugs and saw Cora and Carly asking about him. Patty teased, "I think he's Devon's new boyfriend," which caused both to cringe. He countered, "I don't see her that way. I just don't. She's a good friend who happens to be a girl. I like her a lot, just not in that way." He was on the verge of tears as he said that, Carly hugged him to calm him and whispered to him, "She's not ready yet either. Patty's being a brat but it's because she wants Devon do find a boy. It'll take time to get used to being just friends, but who knows- it could grow into love." Devon hugged and kissed him on the lips, then told Patty, "He's mine. I claim him so no other girls can get him. He's my boyfriend even if we aren't dating. I like him enough to do that for him." She smiled as she said that, she meant what she said. She'd rather fake a relationship with him to keep a girl from using him than leave him to the wolves and get his heart broken. He looked away in shame, it wasn't what he wanted and didn't enjoy it. He saw Brice looking at him and felt like that he was going to say something, but Brice led him away while Devon received an admonishment from Carly. In Patty's old room, Brice hugged him and told him, "They're being girls. They don't know when it's not a good idea to do something. Let me ask you something, do you like boys instead of girls?" He looked down in shame and told him, "No. I like girls, I just don't know who I like. I like your aunts, I like your sister, I like Devon and Patty and Ivy. I just like girls." Brice countered, "Have you thought about guys in that way? Visualize a boy, sitting naked on the bed, his dick standing tall at attention. Then visualize yourself the same way, him kissing you and stroking your dick. How do you feel?" He tried to visualize and felt nothing. All he felt was weirdness that he felt around boys whenever they talked about sex and how big they were compared to one another. Brice caught this and told him, "It's a normal feeling, you are straight. You like girls, you just don't feel attraction to Devon." Cora was listening and smiled at what Brice was doing. She hugged Brice when he came out, before it could be ashed he told her, "Becky did this with me when I felt odd about Devon. She said I'd find a girl and pointed me toward Ivy. He needed to know for sure, he's not gay and he's not into Devon or Patty." The teens helped pack the last of Patty's and Marty's things then went over to their old home to get the last of their things together while her brothers moved the heavy furniture. Patty was all smiles as both boys saw her things, with her giving her old sports equipment to Gus who thanked her for all of the top quality balls, gloves, and padding. He loved sports, with Marty seeing the look and telling Brice, "He will need someone close to him so I guess you'll be joining the football and soccer leagues next fall." Her old boy clothes went to Gus as well, with Gus being forced to try them on by Brice as he pushed the three girls out of the room. Blushing, all of them fit and when he called Walt to pick them up as well as the sports equipment up then had to tell him, "Patty gave me all of her old stuff. She doesn't need it nor want it. Her father said Brice will have to join me to use them." Walt fought a smile as it was clear what they meant, the boys would have their own things to do as the girls did their own things during the Spring and fall. He loved that, it was a gift that benefited both boys while helping show that he was a friend. The Coles were getting better and better for his son. The trip to the new house was fast, especially as Timmy and Alton drove faster than their father would have wanted. At the new house, Patty was in tears as she saw her new bedroom. Her father insisted that she take the room, it was hard to repaint and Timmy and Alton didn't mind not having a porch. The room was like her dream room, only without all of the pink that she would have added. It had a big closet and a porch, with big windows allowed in a lot of sunlight. It was also next to her father's room so it would be tough to get out to visit Wanda without him noticing. Then it hit her- that was why she was given that room. Marty laughed as her face changed, Timmy and Alton laughed at her expression while Marty added, "I'm no fool, I went through this with both of your brothers. You are way too close to Wendy to not pull those stunts. It's a great room, the fact that you're unable to get out without me noticing is a benefit. Your brothers are old enough to own up to breaking the rules, you still have a long way to go to earn that trust. Maybe in a couple of years you'll get it. At least with you I don't have to worry about a grandchild." She smirked while Alton pointed out, "Dad- you forgot a thing that she has that makes that possible. It's very much like us! The only difference is on her chest!" Devon, Ivy, and both boys laughed hard at Marty's mistake while Patty hugged him tight and cried into his shoulder. He unintentionally gave her a compliment: he only saw her as a girl and forgot that it was still possible until she had surgery to get Wendy pregnant. It was the hormones causing the tears, but it was what she needed to hear from her brother and father. Marty let her settle while the boys moved the rest of the things inside. When she stopped she kissed his cheek. He told her affectionately, "I love you no matter what and I want you to be happy with her." Moving took hours as the boys were put to work setting up beds and moving dressers while Marty did a run to buy groceries and let the boys oversee things. Brice and Gus listened to them and gave the boys a strong impression of what things might have been had Patty been a boy like them. Brice and Gus were eager to please the two older boys, so much so that they were like gophers in getting them all of the tools and sodas while watching what they were doing with the tools. Gus was used to using tools, but took pride in helping the older boys do something that was simple yet important. Brice didn't have many chances to things like that with his father due to working a lot, it was a first for him and he enjoyed it immensely. Both boys saw the way that the younger boys acted, it helped to sooth bruised egos as they couldn't complain about working hard when the boys were doing a lot of the hardest work and ensuring that they did things right and were eager to please them. The girls wisely stayed away and waited until Patty's dresser, desk, and bed were put inside then saw them helping Patty setup her room to how she liked it. They snickered at her clothes and some of the various trinkets from school. Seeing the pictures caused them to look at her with sadness as she looked on with sadness from the other side. Patty simply told them, "It's who I am, it's what I was. I'm a girl no matter what you see in the pictures, I looked girly back then and did my best to show it but not be obvious that I was a girl. Mom hated it but dad was fine with me being myself. He loves me, mom always hated me. I miss a lot of the kids, I love you guys more. I'm myself now, you love me for me and I love you for that." Wands kissed her deeply. Timmy came in just in time to catch it and complained about "no making out in your room" rules for them but not her. Alton countered, "Dad forgot to tell them, not hard considering he forgot that she could get her girlfriend pregnant. Give her some slack, she knows now." Timmy let up and saw Patty hugging and kissing him, with Alton telling his brother, "She's not coming back and Patty's not going to be a boy again. Granny and Gramps refuse to have anything to do with us. Our uncles hate us. The crap they pulled on us wasn't to make us better- they wanted to hurt us. Stop trying to fool yourself, you know we are done as family to all of them." Marty took Timmy aside to talk while the girls went to Devon's house. Inside, the girls were forced to work on their homework while the two boys went to Brice's house to do the same. Cora had the bright idea to get the boys together away from the girls, especially as they needed to talk alone. Brice needed a guy to talk to about guy things who wasn't related to him, with the same for Gus. The girls ended up staying together the rest of the afternoon with Devon looking at her mother for the next step. Cora grinned and asked Ivy if the other girls wanted to come by, leading Ivy to call them and see if they wanted a sleepover at Devon's house. That was met with an a, "Yes" from all and big smiles from Devon as it would be her first true sleepover at her own house. Carly called Brice to tell him to stay home as the girls were coming over. He shook his head and shot her an angry, "I'm not stupid. Mom said to stay here because it was going to lead to that." He asked Gus to spend the night, with the two getting the OK from Walt. The two went up to Brice's room and put on a movie then talked about things for a couple of hours. Before bed, Brice had a big grin and asked if he wanted to do something more. It led to both getting undressed and watching pornography. Brice told him to just, "Do it" leading them to have a mutual, "Jack-off" session. It was a bit embarrassing, but both enjoyed it. He asked Brice why he did that. Brice shook his head and told him, "You saw all of me, I saw all of you. There's no awkwardness now, you don't have to pretend to not notice me. Besides, you liked it. Maybe you like both and just haven't had the right experience. I'm not into guys, but I did like doing this." He kissed Brice on the lips and hugged him tight, then fondled Brice. Brice reacted as any boy would and enjoyed the feeling. When he stopped, Brice gave him a smile and told him, "Thanks, but you didn't have to do that. I like you a lot, but I'm not into guys. I'm glad you did that, but I'm not into you." He looked away in shame, Brice hugged him and told him, "You are fighting yourself. Just be who you are and not what others think you are. If you are gay then then you're gay. If you re bi then you're bi. You are who you are and you are my friend- you have been since school started. You are one of the few who did not talk trash about me or put on an act. I like that about you, and am happy to be your friend. I don't care if others try to claim that we're hiding our sexuality or worse, I just like you for you." The two went to sleep and saw Brice hugging him throughout the night. It was sweet, he didn't realize it but he was protecting him with his body. There wasn't anything sexual, it was Brice doing what came on instinct and showed that the boy was under his protection. In the morning, the girls came searching for the boys and saw the two rushing to get dressed. Ivy had to hide her grin as she saw how skimpy Brice's pajamas were, especially as they nearly fell off as he ran. She saw what Gus was packing and whispered to her friends about him being big too. Ivy saw the smirking Violet and blushed deeply, the girls wisely dropped the talk and await the boys to come down. When they came down, one girl, a redhead named Sally Feld, blushed deeply at seeing the handsome and muscular boy with Brice, causing him to blush back and try hard to find the right words. He didn't know it yet, but he just found his girl in Sally and she was the one who'd open up his world to the ways of women and sex. Devon caught the look and whispered to Ivy about their mutual crushes. The girls led the boys out and made their way over to Devon's house and spent much of the day playing games and walking around the large property. To nobody's shock, the new couple held hands and after an hour- kissed one another. When it was time to depart, the new couple kissed and saw their parents blushing as they didn't expect their children to find anyone let alone among the friends. Walt let it go and chose later that night to talk about him growing up and what to expect, giving him an awkward yet needed conversation. He liked it and thanked Walt, with Walt telling him that he showed that he was an adult that day. Monday saw the group going to school with a big smile as they were told that morning that Wanda was attending with them as a new student. Outside of school, Patty ran to Wanda and kissed her deeply. She was in tears at seeing her, with Wanda happily telling her that her mother caused a stink at her former school and she needed to leave because she was being blamed for it all. Wanda took her hand and led her inside, with Ivy happily telling the gossips that Wanda and Patty are a couple and has been together for over a week. She then told the worst ones, "Wanda is a lesbian. Sorry if that destroys your plans for making her into one of your minions. She knows all about your plans and what you said about her girlfriend all last week- she isn't happy and isn't afraid to tell you off!" Wanda went inside and was introduced to Mr. Baldwin by Patty. Looking her over, he asked what was the matter with Wanda that she needed to speak with him. Wanda sighed and told him, "I'm gay and ask the school for protection as per the laws of our state." Wanda's closeness to Patty was asked about, Patty explained, "I'm her girlfriend. I've been her girlfriend for a week. She got sent here because of her old school not allowing gay people." Wanda added a terse, "They are frauds. If they say something bad about me it's because they are trying to make me out to be a troublemaker because they got in trouble with dad and the state due to their actions especially since mom got arrested. Their grading is different than yours, mine are lower than they really are since they like to curve them to make some students look smarter than they are. I'm one of their best yet I look average because they inflate the numbers of some of the students." He understood and talked with her teachers, with both being put into the same class but told to keep the affection to a minimum like how Ivy and Brice did. Class went without a hitch until lunch when Gus was hassled for being around the girls. He ignored all of the taunting and made the boys out to be sexist jerks in front of all of the girls. When sat down to eat, Ivy asked him if he had a date that weekend with Sally. He blushed and told her, "She hasn't asked me yet. I'd like to take her to the movies but I don't know if she'd want to go." Ivy giggled and showed a text from her. He blushed at being setup by his girlfriend, but Wanda happily told him, "She likes you a lot. Don't try to overdo things, you don't need to do anything to win her over." He smiled at hearing that, with Brice adding, "I guess they want it to be a triple-date. I take it that Becky is going to oversee us at mom's suggestion. It figures she'd hold that over us." Patty blushed deeper as she realized who was taking them. She added a meek, "Alton is taking us. He's at home and is bored. Dad told him to get a job if he's going to complain so it sounds like he's using it as an excuse to get one at the theater." At home, Cora received a phone call regarding the cases. There had been multiple indictments against a long list of people involved in the cases and saw multiple town, school, medial, and county officials in her former town accept plea bargains to avoid lengthy sentences. The duo were needed to testify at the trials of the main people involved: the people who threatened her sister and brother-on-law. The two hated to do it, but they had to fly back west and testify in person. She asked for when they had to do it, then had to book tickets. She wasn't happy, but it was needed to put things to rest for good. The family were told soon after, with Martin insisting on going with them to provide legal counsel and keep the leeches at bay since they'd come out of the woodwork to get at them. He called a friend in the area and got her to take a look at Devon's parents' wills and what she had inherited from them. She had a long list an hour later, with Devon inheriting their bank accounts, properties, life insurance policies, and trust fund as well as his aunt and uncle's trust funds as they died childless soon after. Devon had inherited a tidy sum of money, close to $25 million in total from all of her family members before her grandfather's own inheritance was factored in. Her wealth was a hot item and might spark issues with the town simply to get control of her. Cora knew that it was going to be tough to leave there without social services trying to claim her, but the adoption was legal and she was among her closest relatives by default there was no right to remove her. Carly and Devon were told after they got home from the school run. Brice had to calm her, while Patty offered her an upset, "Grandpa won't let anyone hurt you. You aren't going anywhere with anyone else." The family gathered that weekend to talk about the upcoming trip and what they'd do. Sal Cole would be going, as would Marty. Martin and Vera were going on behalf of Cora and Devon as Devon's next-of-kin and to ensure that she wasn't hijacked by social services in a bid to extort her over their lack of an actual investigation into the allegations against her former parents. Sal's kids would stay with his wife while Patty, Timmy, and Alton would stay with Violet and Jeffry. It was considered unlikely that they'd get into trouble on their own, but Marty didn't want to chance it so asked his sister and brother-in-law to house them. Neither had a problem doing that, especially as they wanted Brice to spend time with the boys and Becky would help Patty. She would be proud to help her cousin, especially as she didn't get much time with her so far. That changed when Ivy's mother Betty talked with them and insisted that Patty could stay with them so it wasn't so crowded. Marty realized what was going on and let her babysit, especially as the girls were likely to just do homework and talk with their friends. Becky would understand, it was more important to have some girl time with her friend than bond with her cousin- especially on a school night. When the actual court dates were set Vera did something surprising and got the Ewing corporate plane to fly them west, saving them money on airfare for all of the family. She didn't need a reason to use it, she was one of the people who was allowed to do it and was happy to do so for the first time in years. Given that it was family-related reasons, any of her relatives would have to explain why they wouldn't allow it especially as they were aware of who lived in the location that they were flying out to. Devon was excused from school for two weeks, with Cora hoping that it wouldn't take that long. None of them wanted to be away that long, especially the usually independent and rarely around Sal. His now ex- wife and in-laws were jerks about his family, but never crossed the line into hurting his kids as it would destroy everything that they had built over the years. Sal's business was too important to them and to hurt his kids was a guaranteed death sentence for their business. The one who felt the worst about Devon having to go was a shock- her new friends. The girls and Gus were afraid that she might not return with Cora and Carly, with Gus telling her to be safe and don't let anyone get her alone. He was serious- he didn't want her hurt or kidnapped. The day came for them to depart, with the family surprisingly being joined by Brooklyn and Newark- a shock to Carly as they were in civilian clothes and smirking at her. Newark happily told her, "We're here to tell what we were told by the officers and what happened as they fled back to our base. We are here to represent all since our colleagues can't do it. Funny how they ended up deployed just this week." Carly laughed hard and added, "They exist, but who they are stays a secret. They didn't interact so they don't know what was going on beyond what they saw and what they heard from others after it was all finished. They treated the whole thing as training so it can't be asked about because it's highly classified and under federal protection orders. They are visible on video, but they were simply observing. And I hope that they enjoyed their treats, Cora spent a lot of time working on those to get them right." Both laughed and shot back, "Their team made the rest jealous, others only got fresh socks. Funny how it happened to be the guys who knew us who ended up getting the best prizes, but then again it's all in the way you look at it- fresh socks are useful and help make a solid weapon. Still, that was a bit of funny payback to the guys. Then again, they always liked your sense of humor." The plane ride was in luxury and Devon was treated like royalty, especially as Vera mentioned that the girl was one of her granddaughters and a Ewing by blood. Devon hadn't flown before, but it was one of the things that she enjoyed most about being part of the Ewing family. The family was extremely rich from their investments in refining oil and manufacturing equipment for mines and drilling so they had a lot of money to burn so an expensive plane for the family was a luxury they took pride in purchasing. She asked about the pictures on the wall, with Vera smiling and explaining, "They are your ancestors. If you closely, you'll notice how much you look like my father. I never liked the pictures but they really do make the plane feel more like a part of our heritage as we've had one since I was a child." Brooklyn and Newark laughed then had Newark telling Carly, "A Ewing? You had to go and marry into a loaded family? It figures, you'd find one hell of a great family after your own abandoned you and all of your cousins and family died out. Hell, if they saw you now they'd never believe their eyes!" The family shared a smirk as Carly shot back, "You know full well that it wasn't an accident: fate has a way of laughing at me! I find the woman of my dreams thanks to folks in town trashing me behind my back, I end up getting closer to my cousin and my new girlfriend ends up getting herself taken in by the one family in the entire Northeast Kingdom who rivals the Kennedys! And to boot- I'm the one person in the whole of the region who could help TWO kids and help out several other families. Hahaha." The rest of the plane trip was slow and boring for them, but did see Devon working hard on schoolwork so she didn't end up behind. The duo watched Carly inspecting her work and had big smiles as she was in full motherhood mode and ensuring her daughter was doing her best. The two knew that she was a natural mother, they had seen it when she nurtured soldiers under her supervision and helped all out in need when they were out and about in South Korea. When the plane touched down at the airport in the rural Texas panhandle, Vera was met by a group that weren't happy that she was there. She smiled at them and asked them, "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting all of you? It's been years since I've had a welcoming party since all of you snubbed me after I chose to keep you from stealing my father's hard-earned family business for yourselves." The leader of the group demanded that they speak in private. She grinned, turned to her family, and told the men, "No, I think I'll do this here. You have nothing to say to me except tell me to leave, which I am not going to do. I know why you are really here and I won't allow it anymore." She braced herself as the man stated, "This child is going to destroy our company's reputation. What its father did is unacceptable! A Ewing having a transgender child will destroy Ewing Incorporated!" She just smiled then told him, "No, it won't. Especially when she's one of TWO transgender children in our family- my other granddaughter is transgender as well. The only issues with them are with people trying to extort the company to get you to sell them the parts business. I know for a fact that they are in the process of trying to go after us via shareholders but that won't work as I'm taking full control over the family's shares and forcing you all out as we are entitled to do to save the company from forceful action by the board of directors. You have shown your true allegiances and it's not with us." Martin walked over, handed them termination notices, then announced, "A board meeting will be held in a week to determine what to do next. Your shares have been forfeited back to the company and you are all removed from the board of directors. The family controls the company, as was intended by in-laws." Brooklyn and Newark, "Helped" move the men away from the family and let them know in no uncertain terms that Devon was to be left alone and any attempt to go after her would be detrimental to their own health. The men complained that Vera hired thugs, Newark happily told the men, "We aren't thugs. No, we are just two close friends of Carly Bartlett- Vera Cole's daughter-in-law. You folks really are in for a world of hurt if you believe you'll get back at them, especially against the Bartletts." The duo shook their heads as the "security" for the men tried to strike them. Both blocked their moves, countered the blows, then put the hired, "Security" into holds causing them to pass out from the lack of oxygen. The men tried to claim the two would be arrested, but Brooklyn happily pointed at cameras and then explained, "Assault isn't a good fit for you. They struck at us first for escorting you out of the hangar, we defended ourselves. They'll be the ones in jail, not us." The duo walked back to where Vera was and saw her explain to them, "I figured they'd do that. They are a sorry bunch, all flash and no substance. They might be keen businessmen, but they lack any sort of common sense. It's why I had you two hired when you retire- good employees are hard to find." The group got into hired cars and a limo, with Vera insisting that the Bartletts join her. The three tried to refuse but Vera overruled them and wanted to talk in private for a bit. Inside, she explained to them, "I know this is a big difference and not what you are used to, but it's what you need. You are all Coles as well as Ewings. This means you get privileges that may be a bit overwhelming. We have money, it's a lot but we aren't ones to exploit it. My parents and grandparents insisted on paying great wages and being environmentally conscious, while my nephews seem to only care about profits. The ones who do the actual running of the business are the real workers: those who came up through the ranks. They are the ones who find profits to be made but keep out of dangerous areas or places that could damage the environment. They are becoming less and less in the company, I know why and just took care of it." Carly saw what she meant, adding, "The whole confrontation was an attempt to get you to keep Devon from the public eye and linking her to the Ewings which would put them under fire for what they are doing to the company. A small number of shareholders would be outraged over Devon being what she is and cost them money, so trying to keep her from the company again is only beneficial to them. You are working against them and trying hard to ensure that the company isn't linked to their actions." Vera nodded, with Devon telling her, "I don't want anything to do with the company. I don't know what I have to do with anything, I've never been a Ewing. Dad was cast out by them, he built up his fortune on his own. I don't want any of what you have." Vera simply told her, "He was unjustifiably cast out because he was the son of the younger son. His dad, my brother, was the middle child and the one most like your great-grandfather. He would have run the company after your great-uncle died. Your uncle wasn't any better, he was gay and refused to join in the family business and swore off all of us. Your great-uncle didn't father any children and chose to be the swinging bachelor of the family until he ended up getting disgraced for his drug use and drunkenness. It fell on your father to lead the company, conveniently he was cast out right before he would take over for his relatives. Your great-uncle was upset about being cast out so got your great-grandfather to cutoff your branch of the family after it seemed like your dad was going to not get involved. He conveniently didn't tell his father what your father was doing, if he did your father would have been a highly prized member of the company and likely ran it directly. When he found out the truth it was too late and your father was already in a strong position and refused to be part of the business any longer." Devon knew the rest, her father started his own business and worked the books of multiple companies until he had enough money to start investing in properties. Things snowballed from there leading to the chain of events that ended in his and his wife's deaths as well as Cora and Devon fleeing. She hated to recall that time, but it was hard to avoid as she thought about what might have happened instead. The rest of the ride was in silence as the family drove to the largest house in the region: Aurora, home to the Ewing family for 120 years. It was really their weekend home, as the main one was over in the city of Amarillo and was a condo on top of the Ewing Inc. building. The place as a beautiful place, with large pastures for miles around and horses, cattle, sheep in them. Devon was in awe of the place. Vera happily told her, "You were entitled to visit or live here, your father didn't want to. It's a nice place to visit, but I prefer our humble home in Vermont more." The family exited and saw Vera lead them inside. The staff were shocked to see her, even more so as it was clear that she had guests with her. They rushed to prepare rooms for all of them, with Vera telling them to leave their belongings alone or else be terminated. Her threats were met by an angry man entering and demanding to know why she was there. Vera gave a bright smile and happily told the man, "Why, my beloved nephew, I'm here on behalf of my newest granddaughter as well as the heir of your cousin's shares of the company. I don't need your approval to be here, and neither do any of our family. This isn't your play palace, this is our family home and you will treat your family as family or you will not set foot in here until the day you die." Vera wasn't fooling around and went for the throat. He tried to look unintimidated but she knew that he wasn't able to counter what she had said. He took things a step further claimed that his cousin only had a boy and that she only had one granddaughter and Devon certainly wasn't Becky. Vera smirked and countered, "Harris Boon Ewing, don't play me for a fool. I'm well-aware of just what happened to your cousin and why he was murdered. Further, you are dead wrong about only having one granddaughter. I have a total of three: you know of one, your cousin had a daughter and your other cousin had one as well. I'm not going to act like you aren't putting on an act to make those idiots you try to impress think that you are the one who is the brains of the company, You knew full well about both girls through Marty's soon-to-be ex-wife and you know that I am not going to abandon family, especially family in need of help. Your cousin's daughter, an orphan, is my new granddaughter and the true heir of the family company. You are the illegitimate child that tried to use your father's money and power to force your way into the company- the last person who should be leading the company. You are only a division leader, and a paper pusher at that, so save your breath." The ladies wisely kept quiet while Brooklyn and Newark were ready to protect them. Vera led them to the dining room and saw to it that they were fed then led them on a tour of the house. Marty, Sal, and Martin went to their usual rooms and endured the glares of Harris while Martin gave a smirk to the man who didn't have the guts to speak as he knew he'd get himself cast out of the family the second he said one word against any of them. Vera's tour ended with in a grand sitting room where both groups converged and featured Martin laying out paperwork and notes for the next few days as they prepared for the upcoming court battles. He told Cora, "Your old house is still there along with all of your possessions. Devon, your old home saw a lot of people trying to find your father's hidden documents. We believe that they are safe in a secure safety deposit box in the bank. His lawyers refused to tell anyone where they are and the safety deposit boxes didn't have anything relevant to the cases. Devon, you may be the only one who knows." She looked around and saw people listening. Marty got up and told them to leave, followed by telling Harris, "This is a private matter. Take a walk outside or I'll happily tell the assistant US Attorney that you were attempting to sabotage her case." Sal led him out and explained angrily, "You just cost yourself a job. This is beyond comprehension- you are trying to harm a child! Shove whatever they are paying you to destroy her life, she's not going to be kept from our family any longer. You, on the other hand, are out. Your job is gone. You have no reason to be employed with the company as you have no useful skills other than being a Ewing by blood." Sal had spoken. The man was the brains behind the Cole family's wealth and kept them solvent and able to live a life of luxury without dipping into their Ewing money. Vera was proud of him for being a good example for the family, even if the others, except for Devon's father, understood why he did it. Once alone, Devon explained, "Dad hid the files in mom's house. She has them hidden in a wall in the basement. Nobody thought to look there, it would be the last place to look since she refused to be part of dad's business. Mom made him put them there just in case something happened to our house." Cora shook her head and added, "So that's what they were doing over when I was at work. Your dad had a knack for fixing things for me, I guess it was more than just fixing my sink or toilet. I loved that man and woman, but sometimes they are devious. I'm glad that it helps put away their murderers." Martin called someone, spoke for several long minutes about what was discovered, and then told them, "They'll go tomorrow with you. As you are the owner, you have a right to be there. The house is in your old name, but that's just a formality that I'll clear personally." There was nothing else to be said, they went to dinner and ate while Harris gave them a hard glare as he was clearly upset at his treatment by them so far. After finishing, Vera happily told him that they would be gone most of the day but would be back with additional guests- hired private security that would be there on their behalf. He objected to, "Outsiders" being there, but she countered, "I have every right to hire them, your goons have done enough already and aren't up to the job. I doubt the men are going to be dumb enough to try something again, but then again you never were bright." In the morning, the family ate breakfast and saw Harris still angry about them being there. Vera and the rest ignored him, with Devon seeing that he was more upset at Vera taking a stronger interest in the company than about anything else making his involvement moot since he was unqualified for any job at the company. It was his own laziness that caused that, he chose to not work and coast by on the tails of family members who actually earned degrees and rose through the ranks of the company. After breakfast, the family met their escorts and had a laugh as Martin did an end-run around any of the possible complaints by having deputy US Marshals do the actual escorting as per their job. There was no way to harass them nor intimidate them without ending up in prison, especially as there wasn't any reason to go after them at all. The group simply drove off unmolested as the, "Security" thugs were left to look angry and ready but not dumb enough to attack them with heavy protection trumping them. At the house, they were met by FBI, DEA, ATF, and other deputy US Marshals. They had a warrant to search the house but chose to let them find the documents for them so there wasn't any need to destroy any of the contents inside. The deputies gave a grin which showed that it was just a formality, they had to cover their backs just in case there were issues raised by the defense's lawyers. The house looked no different than before, except for the overgrown plants it was exactly the same as both Cora and Devon remembered. It was small at just two bedrooms, but it was enough for her. Devon shed a tear at seeing the pictures of her parents and her, especially one in which she was wearing one of her first dresses. Carly hugged her and told her that they would be proud of her, calming her some. When she recovered, Devon escorted them to where her father had hidden the documents and gave the combination: her birthday. Inside was the mother lode for the feds as original accounting files, deeds, and memos to her father's clients, and the most damaging of all: the threatening notes and recordings of the visits to her father's office. There was no way that the defense could counter any of what was found and what they tried to use would go against them by the judge. The feds walked out to give the family a chance to gather what they needed. Devon blushed at seeing a few of her old outfits, especially her leotards. She hated knowing those remained, but there they were. The bright pink leotards caught Vera's attention to which Cora happily told her, "She begged for one so she could dance. We never found her a school so she only danced around the house and tried to get to be as flexible as the girls. It was painful to watch her stretch, but she can get all of the way down." Sal, Marty, Brooklyn, Newark, and the deputies went outside, "For some air" as their faces turned red. Martin remained, laughing at their reactions while knowing that it was probably done so that it didn't hurt her testicles as they imagined. She showed the ladies what she could do, leading them to think of a way that she could get her energies out while her cousins played sports. Carly was texting away and did a cheer as she told them, "Your new friends go to a dance school, the owner is one of their mothers and is happy to take you on if you want to learn. Patty can join too, if she wants." She was all smiles and happy to do something different than what other girls did. Brice and Patty may not like doing it, but she wanted to dance and be creative. It was a perfect fit, especially as she found a common thing to do with the other girls giving her a uniqueness that she needed most. Packing took several hours but there wasn't much that wasn't going with them since it was clothing and items that would benefit others. The furniture would be donated to charities and what Cora couldn't part with would end up being flown back later on. She needed her private items like clothes, pictures, and her prized items like heirlooms and reminders of her past. She showed Devon what she needed most: pictures of her as a baby and of Cora's beloved sister. She had a few of her brother-in-law that Vera insisted on her taking immediately, with Vera shedding a tear as he looked so much like her brother. Devon hugged her, insisting that she was a great aunt for still caring about him despite him being cast out unfairly by the family. The family finally left, with the house being sealed and Vera calling the company's legal team to get the men and women on top of selling the house for Cora as only they'd get a fair price for the property as it was, "Tainted" in the eyes of Realtors even if Cora was innocent of all of the claims against her. Their next stop was a visit to Devon's old home to assess the damage done to it. It was going to be tough on her, but it had to be done for her sake as it was a much-needed chance to accept the finality of things. The house was trashed but it wasn't so bad that they couldn't fix it up in a few days. There were several windows broken and the rugs ruined from people ripping them up, but otherwise things were normal. It was a different story in Devon's room as it was completely torn apart, with all of her clothes ripped to shreds and most of her furniture smashed beyond salvage. Going into her parents room showed that it was methodically destroyed, with holes in the walls and the floor. The dressers were broken, the bed ripped apart, and the floor removed in key spots. The big thing was all of the clothes tossed out into the hall to access the closets, with Devon shaking her head at the complete lack of interest in the high- priced suits and dresses that her parents wore- ones that were well over $1000 each and could have fetched a hefty price if they bothered to look closely at them. There was nothing left to find at that house as all of it was just painful reminders of the past and what she no longer needed nor wanted, Devon took all that meant anything to her and her father kept most of the important documents with his lawyers or hid them at Cora's house. Her mother kept things simple and didn't buy a lot of expensive things outside of the needed dresses for business meetings and school functions, most of her purchases were in food and appliances- which were all missing from the kitchen. Cora added a solemn, "They helped themselves to what your mom bought, right down to the food in the fridge. For people claiming to only want 'righteous' people, they have no problem stealing." Vera asked if they had homeowners insurance. Cora nodded but added, "They won't honor it due to what they were accused of. I was told to not bother with mine, the company wouldn't pay-out to someone that they deemed to be 'a criminal'. It'll cost a lot of money to cleanup, we aren't getting a penny." Vera shook her head and immediately called someone, explained the situation to her, then told Cora, "I just ensured that they'll pay. They have to honor their policy and refusing to do so due to actions of others is in violation of it. Everything will be replaced at full expense to them, and they will push the police to investigate in full. They know who did it and why, the company won't let them get away with it. Your home is the same, your policies were suspended without cause and will be honored in full by the company. We'll handle selling this house as well as fixing it, it comes as a family perk that we don't often use but have a right to utilize. Your policies were held in a trust until you were located, they were temporarily on hold and would have been terminated in six more months had you not been found. You don't need to worry about anything more here." Outside, the deputy marshals spotted trouble and told them to wait inside. They got their badges out to show that they were there on duty and didn't have to deal with the local police. The police would have to leave or they would end up in federal detention explaining why they were intimidating witnesses. The police exited their cruisers and walked over to the house, guns drawn and telling the deputies to get down on the ground. The deputies flashed their badges and laughed, while three came from across the street while two more came from the back of the house, all with their guns drawn. It was tense as the officers were unsure what to do, while trying to radio dispatch for help. The lead deputy casually told the officers, "This is official federal court business. Leave now or we will arrest you for witness intimidation and evidence tampering. Your dispatch are aware of what's going on here and will explain to us why you were dispatched despite orders to stay away." The officers relented, walked over to them, and angrily explained, "We were told that there was a break-in at the house. It sounded fishy considering we know that the house is trashed. Dispatch was a bit odd as they didn't want to say exactly what was going on, only that a caller had stated that there were a few people inside the house stealing things. We had to investigate as per our orders." They verified with another dispatcher the callback number and were told that the call came from none other than Harris. The deputies shook their heads in disappointment, he was about to face their harsh retaliation as he tried to have his own family arrested. The deputies called dispatch to explain to them that there was no crime there, that they were acting on a federal court order, and that they'd be the ones to further act on what happened allowing the town to clear themselves. Vera listened and angrily called the family's lawyer to tell what just happened then was told, "He's cutoff by the family trust. Any actions like that in violation of the law and intentionally trying to hurt family is just cause to be removed. Coupled with being let go by the company means he has nothing left. He's in trouble enough as it is, he lives permanently at the mansion so being cutoff means he's homeless." She sighed and told the lawyer, "He has a small trust fund that he never used, he can use that to find new employment and a home. It's enough to live comfortably for years, whatever he does with it is his own choice. He chose to harm family, so he has to live with the consequences of those actions." The call was followed by the deputies taking the family to the county courthouse to get the houses put into the family's name so that they could be sold without interference from anyone with an issue with the family. Vera hugged the young lawyer assigned by the family's legal team to assist them with their sale, with Vera having to explain, "I made some changes to our family over the past month. I adopted the sister-in- law of my nephew and she, in turn, adopted his daughter. You are aware of his and his wife being murdered, their son survived and is this lovely young lady you see in front of you." She didn't bat an eye at hearing that, Vera added, "They sought out my son-in-law's cousin and ended up bringing our family together again as one. They fell in love almost immediately making it tough to not see that it was in their best interests to bring them into the family completely. My great-niece is now a Cole along with being a Ewing, and carries her mother's name of Bartlett. They even did us a favor by getting rid of my daughter-in-law and helping my granddaughter come out in full instead of hiding her true self. And on top of that- my granddaughter has found love in a lovely young lady whose friends are my grandson's girlfriend and her friends." Her only response was to ask if she had it all legalized, with Vera showing the name changes as well as the documentation that Devon was transgender and receiving full treatment form reputable doctors who had experience with transgender patients and not afraid to force the laws to be followed. She asked if it included ways of ensuring the next generation, with Vera explaining, "Her mothers insisted on it. She and my other granddaughter have saved enough semen to have multiple children so it's all settled." She led Vera and the group inside the courthouse to settle the sale and ensure that nobody could claim to have ownership or a claim to the houses. Inside the offices, Vera was noticed alongside Cora. It was tough to not see that the two were there together which meant that Devon had to have been close by but nobody noticed her so far. Cora finally showed the paperwork for the houses and the sales to the Ewing Inc. trust in care of herself and her daughter. She showed the name changes as well as the documentation regarding the adopting of both. The lawyer was swift and left no room for error as she showed they were fully prepared that day. There was no reason to deny the sales and let them leave, with Vera not even saying a word to anyone as she didn't have to say anything. Devon was unnoticed, with people suspecting that something was up yet didn't have the guts to ask them where Cora's "nephew" was. Marty and Sal didn't try to give them a chance to ask, they walked behind the ladies and kept anyone at a distance. The group went to a fancy restaurant to eat in neighboring Amarillo so they didn't have to endure any of the locals interrupting their meal, but were followed by multiple people who were known to deputies as part of the group of people who pleaded guilty to avoid serious charges for what they did to Devon's family. The deputies were ready and would take them into custody for obstruction of justice charges as well as inform the US Attorney that the group had violated their plea agreements. Devon didn't let any of them get to her mentally, she knew that it was going to happen and ignore their presence. They ate their meal in silence while the deputies had a word with colleagues about what was going on. When they finally finished, the group left the restaurant and were confronted by the mob of people who blamed Cora and Devon for their lives being ruined. Neither said a word, they simply the mob show off for whatever cameras were rolling before they got corralled by deputies. The deputies happily told the mob, "You are in violation of your plea agreement and are under arrest for witness intimidation as well as violating probation. The judge is eager to hear why you felt the need to go after the witnesses before trial when you ratted out people on your own free will. These people have done nothing to you, yet you sought them out despite being told to stay away from other witnesses." They were herded away to awaiting police cruisers to be taken to federal court. Devon shook her head while Cora explained, "My ex-boss, my neighbors, Devon's neighbors, and her principal. All were in on the conspiracy against her, all were paid off to do it. They only talked to avoid going to prison." Martin sagely added, "And that blew up in their faces since they are going there anyway. They may have avoided most of the charges by telling the truth in the first place but chose to let themselves get led into the traps that the federal agents set to catch everyone involved. You two did nothing wrong, they all had reasons to go after you and they'll have to admit it in open court now." Cora bluntly stated, "My house is worth a fortune, I bought it because it was cheap and nobody wanted it...or so people thought, turns out that it was kept on the market at a low rate until my neighbors could buy it and flip it for a bigger profit. They are married to my former principal who is related to Devon's former principal. They went after me to get my house, they thought they could force me to sell it for a loss but I fled before they could force the sale. My job was on the line, if I refused to sell I'd be accused again of molesting a child and fired with the state going after me. Devon would have been taken away by social services and forced to endure being a boy no matter what doctors said. I couldn't let them do that, we fled but it seems that it caused the right people to jump into action causing the arrests." The deputies shot back a stoic, "You left out having the bank foreclose on your house, then again that's a laugh since your brother-in-law paid for the house in full and had you paying into a savings account so you'd have a rainy day fund. They were going to force a bank that had no right to foreclose on a home to foreclose so they'd buy it. That account is still active an full, in case you wanted to close it." Cora blushed at being tricked, then led them to the bank to transfer the money to her new account back home. She had to show who she was again, with the bank understanding why she did what she did as the account had been checked by agents during Cora's time on the fun. The money wasn't an issue, she had been cleared of any issue long before and was actually one of the few they felt confident wasn't in on any of the criminal activities in any way; the real issue was trying to locate her to talk with her. She had well over $80,000 in the account, every penny that she put towards the, "Mortgage" was saved and ready for use. Since she ate mostly at school and with her sister, rarely splurged, and drove a well- maintained car, all of her money went into the bank account giving her a pretty penny. Devon smiled as she realized who would get the money, Carly added a happy, "The little one could use a start since s/he doesn't have what Devon has. I hope s/he never has to suffer as Devon has." With the banking out of the way, the deputies suggested that they get Devon's files from her doctor and school so that her new doctors and principal would have a complete record. Cora tried to back out and allow Carly to take control, but it required her to do it since she was the one that the school knew and wouldn't get the police called on them immediately. The drive to the school was faster than Cora would have liked, with Devon clutching her hand tight as they arrived. The group exited, looked around at the crowd outside awaiting students, then entered the building heading directly for the principal's office. Devon was scared, but the deputies marshals told her that it was a new principal and the old principal, vice principal, and several teachers were gone and the remaining teachers were all cleared of any wrongdoing towards her. The principal greeted them, took a look at Cora and shook her head at the sight, then told the secretary to shut the office door and leave a note that it was a private meeting. She got the gist and left, with any of the parents and students outside trying to listen being told to back off or face punishment. She wasn't alone as Brooklyn and Newark waited outside, looking like hired security for the family inside. Cora asked for Devon's file, got a copy of it, and left before she could answer questions. Devon did all of the talking. Devon had never been able to lie to her in all of her years knowing her former teacher. As expected, Devon stated, "Yes, I was Charles. Yes, I did go on the run from police. Yes, I am a girl. I never hid that and you said that I wasn't like other boys when I was in your class. I'm not going to hide anymore. I'm not alone, my cousin is like me. I found my father's family again and became closer to my great-aunt. You knew about what dad was, well his aunt adopted my former aunt and I was adopted as well. I have two mothers now, one is like me. Mom is even pregnant with a baby. I'm doing better at my new school with my cousins and friends. I'm not happy to have been forced to leave, but it's for the best as I found my family and can't return to what I used to be." She was asked about her chest, with Devon blushing and explaining, "Inserts. My blouses won't fit right and I'm not developed yet. None of my friends are, only one has visible boobs. I only just started taking blockers and haven't gotten hormones yet, but I'm getting it soon." There wasn't anything else to talk about, she left with the rest of the group while the principal was left to think of an excuse for the visitors. She grinned and would tell the truth: a former student returned to pick up her records and said goodbye to her. She didn't need to say more, it wasn't her place and since it wasn't any threat to the children she didn't have to explain anything to anyone. Their next stop was one that would be trouble for them, but with the deputy marshals there with their badges on display there was nothing that the staff could do to stop it nor would they be allowed to do so. The receptionist called for help immediately, with the office manager rushing out and stopping in her tracks as she saw the badges. She mumbled to the receptionists, "Get the Charles Ewing and Eleanor Rigby files out of secure storage immediately." The receptionists hesitated, so she went for the files herself with two deputy marshals joining her so she didn't remove anything from the files. The digital copies were forwarded to their doctors, with all of the proper notifications of receiving them sent back to the office. The paper copies that weren't digitized were seized and taken with them, they would be sent directly to the office by courier the next day. The group left the office but were stopped by Devon's former doctor. He was upset at them being there and seeing her dressed as she was. Cora gave him a terse, "She was diagnosed by a reputable doctor. She isn't your patient so save the theatrics. You might not like that you had to face pressure from families due to being forced to treat her for her issues, but that doesn't give you the right to complain about her to anyone who will listen. Save the lies, you told social services that she was being abused." The doctor was going to refute her claims but seeing the deputy marshals there caused him to shut his mouth and walk away in disgrace. He knew that he was likely going to lose everything at the trials and his action that day would only hurt him as it was reported to the state with the state's attorney removing his plea deal forcing him to go to prison. His arrogance, like the mob earlier, caused his downfall again. That was it for the day as the family decided to visit Ewing Inc.'s headquarters next. Vera explained that she avoided that place until the annual board meetings while Martin explained, "She hates taking a role in the company despite being the heart of it. She's kept them from being absorbed by one of the oil and gas companies and saw the future in manufacturing equipment for others in high-demand fields so the company wasn't just known as an oil and gas company. Diversification saved them, they're a big player in the field of manufacturing and have some of the strongest products out there." Vera blushed to which Martin shot back, "Be realistic: you saved them too many times to count. None of your nephews, except Devon's father, were competent. Marty and Sal don't want to work in the field, I refuse to move out of my ancestral home- so that leaves you. You are the one to keep them going, you are the one who knows what's best for the company. It's your company, you just don't run it directly." Once they arrived at the Ewing Inc. offices Vera escorted them upstairs to the board of directors suite to show them what the company was doing, what they were investing in, what they were planning, and all of the possible projects they were considering putting money into. Devon listened politely but didn't do anything more than nod at the right times. Vera didn't take offense, it was tough to understand and she had reason to not care for what was being talked about as it carried a lot of baggage against her. As they were leaving, they were confronted by "security" to which Vera happily told the secretary, "Call the police. These men have no right to be here. They are no more security than I am the President of the United States. And find a new job, you showed who you really work for- your sleeping with them isn't a job requirement nor is it going to be allowed any longer." She smiled and demanded to know how they got up to the secure suite as they had no right to be above the 5th floor. The three tried to look like they weren't intimidated to which she told the entering officers, "These men are here illegally and are caught in the act of burglarizing an office. They were terminated last night with all rights revoked. You'll see form the footage that they pried open secure door." The officers reviewed the footage and removed the men, with Vera telling the Ewing Inc. lawyers, "I'm taking full control until further notice. This has gone from simple termination to major law violations. I will be in contact with the DA about this." She called and immediately she had police and an ADA over with a search warrant for the houses and satellite offices of Ewing Inc. Within an hour the police had reams of documents as well as computers and phones, all showing plans to takeover the company from within and force out Vera through proxies like Harris. They couldn't let her get close to the board or else their plans would be ruined, she had a way with investors and shareholders that would cause their house of cards to collapse in minutes. That wasn't the worst of it all as the feds found links to multiple people who were on trial for what they did to Devon's parents. The men were the key to the case, they were the missing link that showed that it was all a huge plot to use the company to funnel money from unsavory operations while giving them a new revenue stream that the government wasn't able to tax. Devon had just sealed the fate of all of the people involved, she was the key to everything as her father's involvement in Ewing would have ended all plans and with him being so successful on his own Vera and the distant Ewings would have sought him out to takeover the company as the new leader. That wasn't the worst news that Devon could receive: she was going to be killed next as she was going to cause Vera to crack down on the company and force the family control away from the board. Devon was just a pawn in their battle for control, they didn't care about her well-being so long as they got what they wanted from the company. It didn't matter than her father was on his own, as long as Devon was in her aunt's care and alive she was going to destroy their plans. Cora hugged her tight while Carly looked over at Brooklyn and Newark who were holding off wanting to strangle the men who plotted to kill young girl. They all went back to the Ewing mansion to settle in for the night and prepare for the first days of the trials. After a quiet dinner and long evening in front of a boring TV show the family retired for the night while the two soldiers stood guard until it was safe for them to go to sleep- they wouldn't let their girls fear anything and needed to calm their own nerves. Devon talked with Patty for hours before succumbing to sleep and finally needing to hang click off of the phone for the night. Patty did that with Betty's and her husband's blessings, Ivy had to hold her off of trying to reassure her so Devon could vent her anxiety. Ivy knew the look that both girls had on their faces, Wanda was the same way whenever her mother was acting up and causing embarrassment. The next morning was quiet as Vera read the news about Ewing Inc. executives being arrested. It was a tough day for shareholders, but it was for the best as Vera told the reporters outside of the courthouse it was a sad time in the company's history but they would rebound and be stronger than ever. She meant it as she had no intention of letting the board's missteps harm them further. Inside the courthouse, Devon and Cora were interviewed by the AUSA and told what would be done in the next four days. Their part of the trial would be first so that they could return to normal life and keep the media away from them. The rest of the trial would be done without them, unless there was a need to bring them back they'd neither have to appear nor testify again. The trials started and saw Devon and Cora put under scrutiny by the media. The judge placed them in a separate room where they'd view the testimony in private and away from the media. The defense tried to claim that since witnesses weren't present the prosecution had no case, this led to the judge clarifying that they were present in another room and weren't needed to appear until they were on the stand. This was a standoff and meant for the media, with the defense losing and showing their hand early that they were going after Cora and Devon. The judge explained to the jury, "The defense is trying to utilize a tried and true method of defending clients: going after witnesses, especially ones who have traits many deem as immoral or who have unsubstantiated and false accusations against them. I won't allow that. I am, however, going to seal the court when the witnesses testify so that only you, the marshals, counsel for the defense, and myself will be present. Not even the court sketch artist will be present." The artist was barred from sketching Devon, Cora, and several witnesses who weren't yet known to the group but who would play a key role in the trials. Any images of Devon and Cora that would get out would cost the networks in lawsuits and barring reporters from the courthouses, making any of the images toxic to tv stations and newspapers. That was some relief, but it didn't matter to them overall. The trial started and saw just why Devon and Cora was so important: her parents were targeted due to her father being a Ewing and inheriting a large chunk of the family estate despite being cast out as he was the only child of her grandfather and the one who was most likely to inherit control once Vera had passed away and Sal and Marty chose to follow Martin in the Cole family company her father would be the one to take over the company from within. They supported Harris, the "Non-Ewing" child, as he was a Ewing but seen by the other members of the family as not one because he was the result of a bad affair with a rival's daughter. He was raised alongside his cousins while his father acted like he was still just a college student, with his brother raising him as his own son. Vera explained to Devon, "Harris resented your father for being his 'real' son and eschewing the family, even though his father had done just that himself. He has believed that he was destined to be the heir of the company, but he lacked the business sense and needed people like board members who manipulated him to actually run things on his behalf. Sadly, he was never going to be allowed to run it as there was always Marty and Sal waiting in the wings alongside your father and if they had to I know that they would have accepted their birthright and run the company. I'd never let him get any sort of control and I sure as hell wouldn't let him destroy what my great-grandfather built." She showed a strong passion that Devon greatly admired. Devon understood now why the company was important to her: it was her family's legacy and Vera wouldn't let anyone take it from her. She may not have wanted to run the company officially, but still still loved her legacy and wanted to protect it from predators like her Harris. The opening statements from the defense showed that they were going to try to prey on the jury's bias against transgender and gay people. The judge admonished the defense, with the jury being told, "You are to focus on the facts of the case. Any attempt to use the gender or sexuality of witnesses will not be allowed and will result in disciplinary action by the bar. As for you, jurors, you are to disregard all of the accusations that have no baring on the case at hand. This is a federal trial, I won't allow this to be a kangaroo court nor will I let false accusations and innuendos stand." The witness testimony started and saw a stream of agents telling stories about extortion, drug running, a constant use of properties that were innocuous in appearance yet able to safely house hoards of goods until safe to transport. Devon's father had the perfect buildings and held onto them in hopes of doing a lot of refurbishments or conversions into something useful to the county, leading to the fateful meetings and finally the accusations of his abuse of Devon. He was trying to help the county out and build what he hoped was a better community, but instead showed the true face of people once the extortion started. Devon was an afterthought, especially as she wasn't seen as useful until all of their legal avenues ended up being blocked. They resorted to spying on her and breaking into the house, then bribing her doctors to give over her medical information. When her psychiatrist refused to go along with the plans, they set out to take her out but unintentionally got the attention of the feds leading to their involvement and the salvation that kept Devon and Cora safe for months while on the road. Things only got worse for the defense as Brooklyn and Newark were called in to testify, with the two telling the story of the attempt to go after Devon and Cora then showing the actual video of the assault on the Bartlett home. The jury tried hard to fight laughs as it was comedic how badly the trio acted as they assaulted the house then turned around to flee once gunfire was heard. The defense cried foul at the video, but the judge overruled them and allowed it to continue. Newark explained what was going on, who was involved, and told the jury, "The people on either side of them are soldiers training that night who were close by and watched the action. They didn't react as all of them recognized the sounds and realized that they weren't real and there was no danger. They aren't here to testify due to their training being top secret and they are unavailable due to deployment. What I can tell you is that the men were trespassing on federal property and claimed to be executing warrants for the arrest of two people who were neither wanted nor had any right to act in that capacity. This was no execution of an arrest warrant, this was an attempt to execute two witnesses to criminal activities." That was the beginning of the fun as more and more officials testified about the antics of the police, the school, social services, and finally her doctor. All of that was followed by multiple witnesses who all had to tell the jury that they benefited from Devon's father's downfall and who had other illegal actions uncovered by the defendants that they tried hard to avoid exposing. They confessed to multiple crimes, with the defense connecting them together but in doing so showed that their clients were the common factor in every one of the criminal actions costing them the case. The family attended for three days before Devon was told that she'd have to remain there until the next week due to her testimony being vital. Cora was testifying after her and would verify everything that Devon had said as well as what happened to her due to Devon's father refusing to sell the buildings. It would be a tough weekend for them, but they'd endure it for the sake of the trial. Devon spent the weekend talking on the phone and computer with her friends. She loved hearing about Wendy and Patty getting caught kissing after lunch by Mr. Baldwin. That was only topped by Ivy and Brice getting caught doing the same after changing for phys ed. Both Patty and Brice had to face their grandparents, with the two elders fighting laughs as the duo tried to apologize for what the had done. Wendy and Ivy tried to put the blame on themselves, but Vera told them, "You are all to blame. You should know better than to do that during school hours." Marty angrily told Patty, "No dates for a month, you are to help clean the dishes and anything else that Betty needs you to do. You are old enough to date, you are old enough to live with the consequences. I put a lot of trust into you, you have broken that trust." Devon got to experience the benefits of the Ewing mansion by swimming in the large indoor pool and walking the grounds. Vera told her stories about her childhood and of her younger nephews, with her own kids learning that they might have had money but they weren't better than anyone else. She loved talking about the family, with Devon asking her why she pushed away from Ewing Inc. if she loved it. Vera sighed and with a saddened expression told her, "I saw what it was doing to my father and both of my brothers. It made us out to be snobs and took over our lives. I didn't want that for Sal, Marty, and Violet. I wanted them to enjoy life and be themselves. I'm proud of the people that they have become, they are no less part of the Ewing family than you were. I believe them and you to be superior, your father made a man of himself and did us proud yet the family was ashamed of how they treated him. I'm proud of him, and if I had known that he was in trouble I would have forced him to move out to where we are to ensure that you were safe. I made a mistake in not staying close to him, I loved that boy and missed out on the charming man and the woman he loved deeply." The two hugged as grief overtook them. Years of feelings finally came to a head as the two addressed the issue head-on and learned just how much Devon's father meant to the family. Devon was his legacy, but even so she was her own person and was a Bartlett now in name and adoption. Once back inside, Devon innocently asked if the company could move closer so that it wasn't stuck in a place that was trying to force them out of business. Vera smiled at that, with her telling Devon, "It's not an easy move as we are focused a lot on oil and gas but it makes sense to move some offices closer to us. I think there's something that we can do about it involving splitting the company into smaller ones so we can specialize. Our manufacturing is done mostly in New York, our refining is done down in New Jersey and Delaware, and our drilling is done in Texas. There's little need to remain in Texas, I'm sure that it's mostly image and laziness reasons that we stayed her for so long. That changes now. It's time to move and change the company to keep going forward." Devon had made her mark on the company, she had spurred on the change into the 21st century just by being herself and asking the question nobody wanted to ask. Vera had no problem making the company into three separate yet linked companies, especially as they were able to do business on their own and earn even more money. The link to all would be the board of directors, with the subsidiaries answering to Ewing Inc. and her family just as before. The lawyers were on it fast and had the accountants go over the plans while the executives were called to attend a special board meeting to discuss the plans. Devon would attend to observe as well as act as her father's proxy as she inherited his shares in the company. She was also held the largest stake in the company, thanks in large part to her father's inheritance. She was stunned to be told that, but Vera showed her father's will as well as her grandfather's and both had split their shares among their children equally. She was a Ewing in full and a direct heir, thus she was one of the few who could make or break a deal. Being of like mind when it came to the business, it was essentially their demands that had to be adhered to. The meeting was tense as the remaining board members weren't interested in what Vera had to say, just that it made sense financially and gave them a chance to sell what wasn't working or what wasn't going to be profitable. The legacy was the company, refining or manufacturing or drilling could fall off and it would simply be sold off to save the other companies. That didn't matter as they had the votes working in their favor and would be enough to get their way while dealing with the fallout favorably. The new board members were chosen and saw Carly, Marty, Sal, Violet, and Martin chosen by Vera, with the new CEOs of the subsidiaries rounding out the rest of the board. The family ran it all and they were the ones who were least able to be manipulated and most trustworthy among the family. The fact that the distant relatives didn't bother showing up and told Vera to vote as she wanted showed that they were not interested in the company and would live off of the trust's wealth without a second thought. Devon was told that she was too young to be part of everything, which was why Carly was elected in her place. Devon simply told Vera, "Maybe when I'm older. I don't know what I want to do, I just want to be me. It's the thought that counts, mom has the time and wants to do the job for the family." The time finally came for Devon to testify. She was put into a dress and had her hair styled to look a lot more mature than her standard ponytail that she'd worn since fleeing. She looked older, almost like she was 16 or 17, and looked to Vera like she could be Becky's little sister. The family drove to the courthouse and met with the AUSA who prepared Devon for her testimony as well as what the defense would try to do. She knew that her gender change would be used against her but it wasn't going to get the reaction that they wanted, she was used to people doing that to her and she wasn't going to let them get at her. She'd be ready, she'd tell the truth and only the truth. As expected, the courthouse was packed with locals and the media. The deputies cleared the courtroom and forced the media to back away from any images of entering witnesses. There were complaints until they were told that not only was it a sensitive case that could hurt witnesses, one was a minor. The locals screamed foul but it was policy to clear the courtroom for minors testifying. The reality was that those people were actually trying to catch a glimpse of Devon to see if the rumors were true of the prodigal son of their county actually becoming a girl. They never noticed her entering and exiting until that day, she was just one of many and wasn't worth looking at by them. Once the courtroom was cleared and all stragglers unable to see, Devon was escorted inside to give her testimony. She was asked a series of questions and gave insight into her father's dealings with all of the extortionists and the threats against her family. She was even tougher on the doctor, principal, teachers, and parents who used her gender change to get revenge on her for causing issues due to the state. She didn't hold back, she told everything that she knew and countered most of the potential questions before they could be asked. She was able to make the defense have to work hard to come up with any reasonable doubt, and what they did have wasn't lasting due to others reiterating what others told them. It was painful for the defense to listen to, especially as they knew that she was telling the truth. When the defense got their chance to cross-examine her, they went at her fast and furious to the point it was almost cringe-worthy. She didn't let that affect her, she listened intently and let each of them talk themselves into corner that she was ready for. She let them appear to be bullies, with the jury not liking one bit their actions against a young girl who could have been their daughter. When they stopped, she countered, "Exactly how is all of what happened my fault? Did I make any of those men come to dad's office to demand that he sell his buildings to them? Did I tell them to go after my father through my medical records? Did I tell them to force my principal, social services, the nurse, my neighbors, my aunt's neighbors, or my mother's clients to lie to the police? Did I tell them to force the police to go after my aunt after my mom and dad were murdered? NO! All I did was be myself. Is it a crime to be transgender and seek treatment? Is it a crime to seek a psychiatrist to get a diagnosis from an expert? Is it a crime to transition at home because the school refused to allow me to transition in the open? No. It's not a crime. None of that is a crime. Yet the men who demanded that dad sell all of his properties to them forced everyone in power to claim that I was being sexually abused by my dad!" Her passionate defense of her family made the jury swoon as she had won them over by just telling the truth and standing up for herself. She added onto her passionate plea with, "My aunt and I fled for our lives because we were going to be murdered. I don't have to know how, I know that those men would be after us no matter where we went until we found safety. We found that in Vermont with my people who are family to us- real family, ones who actually tried to know us. I know damn well that my dad's cousin was behind what happened to dad and I know that we were kept from the rest of dad's family due to his manipulating things. They knew too much about us, things that nobody else knew. Only one other person in the entire region knew about dad's family and could tell those things to those men." She shook her head and cut off their last claims, telling them, "Mom and dad never molested me, nor did my aunt molest any kid. Those were lies that were used against them by jealous people trying to get at us for what we had: money, growing influence, good jobs, love. If loving and supporting your child is perverted then you need to look up the definition in the dictionary as that's the definition of parenting, not perversion. My parents loved me, my aunt loved me, each supported me and helped me be myself." She was excused and the defense forced to endure glares from the jury as her passionate defense of her deceased parents hit them hard, especially as there weren't any non-parents among them. She was just a kid in their eyes, to blame her for what others had done was ridiculous. They didn't hesitate to look at the defense with suspicion, especially as she matched what the prosecution had said so far. Cora entered next and was forced to explain what they did and why they did it, with the jury listening to her every word to understand how she had driven over 4,000 miles in a roundabout way to get from Amarillo to upper Vermont and why she had settled on Vermont out of all possible places to hide out. It was a long journey, one that few would do as it looked like it was done without any plan whatsoever. It was made even worse as she didn't have any job nor access to money so how did she get to Vermont? Cora steeled herself then explained, "We drove to Vermont because I wanted to get us out of the country and that was the easiest way. No offense to CBP, but the Canadian border isn't exactly that hard to get across especially if you are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. We drove in a roundabout way to ensure that we weren't tracked as we'd appear in random places, there was no way to track us without resorting to hijacking satellites. I know it sounds crazy, but it worked." She knew that they'd ask about money so she explained, "I had a 'rainy day' box filled with $10,000 of my hard-earned money. I was saving it for Devon's surgery, I didn't want my sister or her husband to be the ones to pay for her surgery. I know that her father was set on doing it, but I felt responsible for her being exposed by all since she and I went out for a 'gals day out' when I babysat her. The money was in a box in my bedroom closet, Devon never went in there out of respect for my privacy and as she had no reason to go in there. It added up over time, I grabbed it all and fled with the clothes on our backs." She added, "We spent a lot of it on gas and food. I opened a new bank account at a small bank with false IDs that I bought from someone online and put the money in there. We couldn't use it much just in case we ended up getting noticed. We'd buy cheap junkers to take as far as we could then get a new one. We technically own 10 cars, but left them on the side of the road with instructions that they be donated to charities due to us being unable to use them anymore. We kept driving, until winter hit and we had to abandon our last car and walk. We looked online and saw that police had found our car and were about to locate us so we went for help from a person who lived in the area who we hoped would understand." She smiled at the memory, then explained, "We were near death when we were found by her out back of her property. She took us inside and got us warm and fed us. I offered to work off the right to stay with her, then started to tell our story. When she called her cousin for help things turned and we were told that all of our fleeing was for nothing- we weren't wanted by anyone. We had spent six months on the road in fear for our lives and had nothing to show for it." Questions about Carly were asked, she sighed and told, "I fell in love with her instantly. I knew that she was transgender, like Devon, but I didn't care. She was kind to us, refused to take advantage of us, and helped us unconditionally. I am happy that she fell for me as well, and happier that she chose to adopt my niece as her own daughter with her asking for my hand in marriage. I am even prouder that she did me the honor of being a mother to a baby. Yes, I'm pregnant. No, it's not from some random person. I am pregnant with my transgender wife's child and helped a lot of people see that being a transgender woman does not mean that you only love men: there are women who love women too." The defense tried to play off of that proclamation but Cora countered, "We chose to change our names to be different from what we were. We were still on the run, we grew to love our names. My parents, may they rest in peace, were channeling The Beetles when they named me but I never liked the name. And Devon? Well she only chose the name 'Charity' as she didn't have much time to figure out what name she wanted to take for her own. She fell in love with Devon, and I fell to love the name Cora." She added, "I challenge anyone to not do what we had to do considering that her parents had just been murdered and she knew that she was next. I was going to be blamed for all of it and likely end up in prison if not on death row. You'd flee for your life if facing certain death of a loved one. I don't regret taking my niece, make that my daughter since I refuse to call her anything else as she was adopted by me. I don't regret taking her on that long trip nor almost dying trying to find Carly nor do I regret that I fell in love with that woman. She saved our lives, she enabled us to live normal lives again. We gave up all that we had here and was found something better." She had no actual insight into the business deals except that she knew that the existed and told both her brother-in-law and sister that they should stay far away from them as they weren't honest deals. It was a tough thing to counter, nothing could be said that wasn't covered by Devon or the agents who testified before them. She was let go, with Carly being forced to come forward and testify. Carly didn't hesitate to testify about what happened on her property regarding Cora, Devon, and the officers who came to the property nor did she care what anyone said about her. She was firm in her defense of her wife and daughter and wasn't afraid to counter the defense's antics with actual facts. She was what the defense feared most: someone who couldn't be intimidated as she'd been through it all and was able to counter all of their tricks with irrefutable logic. She casually told about finding Devon and Cora, bringing them inside and warming them, helping them feel safe, then helping them. When asked why she didn't call the police, she countered, "I did. I called my cousin. It's not my fault that he caused all of the plans to come undone when he called the FBI for help with their situation and to get the facts of the case." That got a laugh from the jury with Carly explaining, "My cousin is a deputy sheriff. He followed their procedures and contacted all of the proper people just in case they were in need of help. They did need help, as well as needed to talk to the agents about what happened and why. All I did was facilitate it and help keep them from asking any out of line questions while ensuring that Cora and Devon were feeling better. Yes, I fell in love with the two and yes, I married Cora. However, I'd be a terrible human being if I didn't help them out in a time of need." She added, "When we were told that the police were coming for them, I hatched a plan that would get them to make a mistake. The only way to access my property is via road or via the adjacent properties. The woods are too dense on three sides and my property is over 500 acres, making it tough to enter but for two small windows: from the road, which was blocked by my cousin's fence since nobody had any reason to enter our private road, and from the adjacent Army base. They chose to enter from the easier Army base, which is what prompted their federal gun and trespassing charges. They lied to the MPs on the base after they fled, and having weapons at all violated the law since they have no right to possess any weapons on any military base without authorization from the MPs." When asked about the machine guns, laughed and explained, "It's a recording. I knew that they knew of my reputation for having weapons after being told about me by Sheriff Brant and his sycophants. I do own an M249, M16, M11, M1911, a .22 rifle, and a shotgun. All of them are registered with the ATF and county. I received the three weapons upon my retirement, with the M249 being a gift from the men of the battalion whose pilots I had saved the life of. The officers trying to get onto my property mistook the recording that I played as my actual firing but there's a problem with that: it's actually a recording of an M2 machine gun and not the M249. They sound completely different, which was why I chose it instead of an M249. They never served in the military so have no idea what either sound like. They fled back to the base and were arrested by the MPs then handed over to the awaiting federal agents as they had arrest warrants- while Cora and Devon had none. And before they claim otherwise: they set of a few of the training explosives that were set by the training soldiers- I don't have landmines nor did I set off any explosives. They were air mortars, buried in the ground to give the effect of ground impacts. It can be seen on the video, it's well over the property line and was a reason why the soldiers were in the trees as they knew that the clearing had been 'mined' and avoided them." There was nothing left to say, she happily walked off leaving the defense speechless. Her service record was read for the jury to understand what she meant, with the DSC citation being key especially as the gun's type and what role it played in saving the lives of the crew of the helicopter were retold. There was nothing to say after that, Carly was too toxic to harass and there was no way to get at her legally. The family left the courthouse while the next witnesses were called, with them heading right to Ewing Mansion to calm themselves and fill the rest of the family in via video. They were glad that things were finished and they could fly home, with Devon upset that she had a lot of work to do that she couldn't do while there. Ivy, Wendy, Brice, and Patty happily told her that she only had to type a paper based on the book they were reading and do the worksheets emailed to her, which she had done already so she was all set to return to school in two days. The state trials were finished without her need to testify, there were enough witnesses who could attest to the planning and implementation of actions done against Devon and Cora. The state was reluctant to put Devon on the stand against her principal and the doctor, but with the federal trial putting testimony on record she wasn't needed by them. They were free to go, with the family leaving in the morning. Devon struggled to get to sleep while Cora and Carly were dealing with the realization that their ordeal was finally over. After almost seven months on the run and away from their homes, Cora and Devon were free from their pasts for good. Both were happy and glad that Carly was in their lives for good. Cora rubbed her womb and smiled as she kissed Carly's cheek to calm her and let her know that Cora understood what she was thinking more than she let on. The two had something greater coming to them in the future that wouldn't exist without Cora and Devon fleeing, the silver lining to their horrible tale as the little one wouldn't exist without their flight. Cora smiled and softly told Carly, "I know that we're having twins. I just know that you created two beautiful babies." Carly nodded and offered a solemn, "I just hope that they aren't like me. I want them to be normal, even if we love them regardless. I hope a boy and girl, I don't want one to feel like she or he is wrong for not being like his or her twin. Nobody should have to feel that way, especially a twin."