No Joking Matter Part 2 free porn video

Valerie Finn and Rick Samuels handled Denise's affairs on her behalf, with Denise in no condition to do anything other than cry and sit in her room staring out of the window in silence. Fiona Flynn came over to talk to Denise but Denise would only say a few things and look out the window at the birds and squirrels in the trees. Denise was showing grief and regretted what happened to the Halls, but it was clear that the biggest issue with her was what she had wanted them to not be her parents and a day later the worst happened to them. After the third day, Fiona softly told Denise, "They have talked about adopting you. They want you to be their daughter as much as you want them to be your parents. Benny and Francesca both want you to be their sister, especially as you're so great with them. You were their surrogate little sister for years before this happened, your being adopted only makes it official in their eyes." Denise started to come around, with Fiona leading her downstairs to where Beth and Ben were sitting with Benny, his wife Lucy, Francesca, her husband Donald, and their sons Brice and Royce. Francesca beckoned Denise to sit with her, then hugged her deeply before handing her off to Lucy. The two didn't have to speak, it was clear that they knew what she wanted and were showing Denise that she was their sister now and in full. Francesca asked Denise if she wanted to do some "girly things" to cheer her up, leading Fiona to groan at the realization that it was going to be a day out with the girls while helping Denise accept them as her new sister and sister-in-law. Francesca was a power shopper, which meant hours of shopping and a lot of needed sisterly advice and affection from Francesca. Francesca, the default big sister to many of the younger girls, knew how to make Denise feel better as well as get Denise to open up to her- all on a basic college education and without expensive professional psychological training. Shopping did relax Denise, especially as Francesca chose a lot of clothing that suited Denise more than the dresses and blouses that her parents got for her. Francesca knew the best way of working with you to show off your style without looking too trendy nor trying too hard to be different. Denise was just a blank slate that Francesca was happy to show needed little help to show the inner girl in her. Beth wisely let her daughter do the work, with Ben and Donald holding her back from speaking out at what the girls were up to. They knew to let Francesca work, especially when she had ulterior motives in helping someone who had lost her parents due to criminal actions. Donald also knew that Francesca had a big secret that she was about to tell Denise, one that was going to change how she saw Francesca as both a person and as a sister: her own brushes with death and girls like Denise. In the car, Francesca asked if Beth had told Denise about her parents. Denise looked down in shame, so Francesca explained, "Mom's parents were killed in a boating accident when she was 15, dad's died in a house fire when he was 14. Neither of them were able to be adopted before 'aging out' of the system at 18, but they still were able to go to college and make something of themselves. Mom and dad are both teachers, but mom learned multiple dialects of Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. Dad isn't as in-depth in his career, but he still earned a masters in biology. They loved teaching and became teachers which worked for the best as they got close to Uncle John and took me in when my parents died." Francesca shed a tear at the memories of what brought her to Beth and Ben, she composed herself and confessed, "Al Samuels' parents were involved in extorting a corrupt ADA causing that monster to try to murder them. Al lived because my mom and mother were driving at the same time and Al's car hit their car saving it from being completely crushed after it rolled over. Mom and mother died, alongside Al's parents, with Al being hurt badly enough to need surgery to become a girl. Mom and dad took me in as their own, giving me a home and parents. I unintentionally helped mom with her depression that she'd had since Benny was born, with Benny falling in love with me immediately. We've been a family ever since and now it's your turn to be our family. You're my sister now, neither of us want you to go." Francesca was in tears again but held herself together. She changed things around and continued, "You aren't the only transgender girl that is close to me: my best friend Reyna Sylvester is transgender. Not long after we met she was kidnapped and was going to be murdered by two deranged men. They shot her with a shotgun causing her penis and testicles to be destroyed making her have to undergo the same surgery as Al. She was lucky, she saved her semen so she could become a mother when she found the right person. She's a mom now and her wife is happy to be a mother to her children. I love them deeply, so you don't have to worry about my not understanding you as a girl: I already do." She smiled at the next thought, and happily added, "Benny is the same way. His friends are all close to or related to girls like you. Their best friends Nigel Smith Jr. and Billy Pena Jr. both have sisters who're like you. Billy's family is even family to us: his mother is mom's cousin. She and mom's sister-in-law are both like you, but like men. I don't think you truly know if you like boys or girls yet but you'll soon learn. Some girls don't find out who they like until they're in college, Aunt Kennedy didn't and she had a great friendship with Uncle Willie that led to marriage and adopting Billy and his brother and sister." The names started to add up as Francesca explained, "You're still not ready for boys or girls. Sometimes it takes the right person at the right time to find who you are. Reyna didn't find who she liked until after freshman year. It helped a lot that her best friend had the same feelings of uncertainty, with both being close friends without knowing that they were in love. Don't think that you have to love boys, because you don't. Trust me on this: there's a lot of transgender lesbians out there and a lot of them transitioned later in life while married. You are lucky to be able to transition so young, you don't have to worry about a deep voice or no breasts or need facial feminizing surgery to look like a girl." That caught Denise by surprise, which was what Francesca wanted. Francesca wisely told Denise, "You will start hormones soon. The time has come for them, now that mom and dad are your parents you are going to get the blockers and hormones that you need. It's psychological now as well as physical. You are going to become a man shortly, if you haven't already started down that path." Denise looked away in shame to which Francesca knew she had started to change. Denise confessed to her, "I have hairs and I have wet dreams. Mom and dad hated that I was starting to change, I can't help it anymore: I'm making that stuff and I can't stop it. I want to stop it, I don't want to become a man." Francesca wisely told her, "You'll get blockers in a few days, Trinity is setting up an appointment with a friend so your hormones can begin. Mom and dad will want you to put semen away for the future, it's a requirement of all of you girls as it's your legacy there. Even if you like men, it's still a part of you that you deserve to have. Anita did it, Aunt Savannah did it, Maisie did it. Anita did it. Now you'll do it." More names caused Francesca to tell her warmly, "Maisie is married to Jacob, Aunt Savannah is mom's friend and married to mom and dad's colleague. Anita is a family friend and close to our cousin-in-law Aggie and who is heavily involved in music. She's done the music for a lot of movies and had a hit pop career before retiring due to health issues. She's going to want to meet you soon, especially as it helps you to know that someone understands your situation in other ways." The info dump had the right impact on Denise as she started to relax and think about all of the people in her life now. Anita Love performed on, "Tickle Your Funny Bone" with the cast and in a couple of comedy segments but most didn't know that Dupree was her married name or that she was a mother by blood to a baby via surrogate was a lot to take in for Denise. Then finding out that she wasn't alone in her feelings of grief and had a bunch of people who knew exactly what she was enduring was a big help in making her see that she wasn't alone: she had help, especially from her new parents. The shopping trip saw Denise starting to come out of her shell and show her true nature as she tried on a bunch of skirts, blouses, jeans, dresses, shorts, slacks, and t-shirts. She found her true style: she was a, "Jeans and t-shirt" girl, but wasn't against dresses or skirts. Francesca happily told her, "It's more likely it was the style that you aren't liking, once you start to develop you will like how they fit on you. Trust me, a lot of girls go overboard with dresses and skirts that look ugly on them. I love her, but Jack's wife Marcy just can't see that the dresses she wears isn't the right style for her. But then again, she's trying to stand out for her style so it's likely why she wears those dresses and skirts in the first place." That was targeted at Lucy as the two were longtime friends and were happy with their styles. It was the truth, Marcy was goth but she wore garish outfits for attention and to keep away the fact that she was unaccompanied except by her friend. Without their husbands it was tough to keep guys at bay and now that Benny and Jack were home for good Marcy was changing her style to better suit her personality even if she wasn't abandoning the goth look. Francesca relayed all of that information to Denise as they paid for the clothes, with Denise loving that she was a little sister to them and getting the chance to shine as a person. Little jabs at Benny and Jack caused her to tell them about things the two had done on set leading to more stories of the two growing up over the years. Lucy told them about the duo in school and dating him under the watchful eye of the overprotective Beth and Ben. It was fun for Denise, with Francesca happily telling her, "This is what sisters do, we talk. I didn't have the luxury of doing this with a sister but I got to see it with Reyna's brothers, Jessie's sister, and Kylie. It's what we do: we talk and joke and help each other through things. I'm happy to be your sister, you're what I always wanted in a sister. I love Donald's and Jessie's sister Amy, but you're different than them: you're my sister. You're my little sister, my cute and sassy little sister." She softened a bit then added, "A lot of kids lost their parents, some even younger than you. Fiona and Flora lost theirs younger than you, they turned out great and have the same support base that you have now. Fiona loves helping people, she'll help you accept your grief and won't let you think that this is all your fault: none of it is! You're innocent, you didn't make them do drugs nor extort people. All you did was be the best daughter that you could be. You're you, you're Denise Hall, soon to be Denise Herman." The two didn't say another word after that, Lucy kept quiet throughout as she didn't want to end the sisterly bonding session. Being abandoned as a newborn and not adopted she never knew what the two were experiencing so tried hard to not say anything while the two talked. She knew all about the family's history, she'd heard it directly from them and learned a lot about what real family meant. Denise noticed Lucy's lack of speaking and asked what was the matter. Francesca looked over at Lucy and saw the quiet contemplation that Lucy normally had whenever they talked about relatives leading Francesca to tell Denise, "It's how she is whenever someone talks about family. She's a foster care alum, she never had a family so we're the closest she has to real family. She's still not used to being part of us even though mom treats her like a mother and dad loves having her as a daughter-in-law. It's tough to break the mental conditioning, she's slow to accept us as family even if we are it." When they arrived back at the Herman home, Denise hugged Lucy tight, crying into her shoulder while trying hard to not upset her further. Lucy hugged her back, it was an innocent gesture that meant a lot to Lucy. Even though she had been married for over three years, she still struggled to be a Herman. Lucy led Denise inside and gave Beth a big hug then had to go upstairs to, "Fix her face" before she let loose her tears again. Beth had to smile at Lucy, it was her pregnancy hormones at work which caused her to feel maternal towards Denise and made her cry easily. It was a sweet sight, made all the better as Lucy was clearly feeling protective of Denise even if she hadn't said anything about Denise yet. Denise tried to comprehend what had just happened, leading Francesca to wisely tell her, "It's a natural reaction to her pregnancy hormones. She tries to hide it but she's suffering from them. It's different in each woman, I barely reacted while mom had severe depression. Marcy is acting defensive while Aunt Beverly struggled to not eat everything in sight. It's one of many things about being a genetic girl that you should be glad to not experience: it's right behind periods and painful childbirth." Denise looked saddened at being told that, with Francesca shaking her head and adding, "Reyna had no problem not having periods or giving birth, Jaimie is fine not having children as she's suffered enough as it is. Al's mother couldn't have children after her Rick was born, Al sees her mother as the best mom in the family. Jessie and Amy are horrible during their periods, Amy is always angry and needs to cool off each night because she'd snap easily. Her husband Oscar grew used to her periods but still has the scars from a bad fight they had because Amy ran out of chocolate one month after they were married." Beth was fighting laughter while Ben cleared his throat causing Francesca to wince at knowing that she had purposely forgotten her own issues. Beth happily added, "Francesca complained about the bloating and how hot she was whenever she has her period. We only knew she was pregnant because she wasn't complaining about the humidity. She didn't even know that she was pregnant again, she forgot when it was supposed to be her period and once the days passed we asked her how far along she was." Francesca blushed while Ben winced at the memories. Being pregnant a third time she still forgot that it was easy to tell for her when she was pregnant. Denise started to get the picture, with Francesca adding, "Lucy is more emotional, Marcy is quieter. Both are going to be great parents, they're already good at being mom to kids. Poor Marcy has endured diaper changes thanks to little Austin so she's ready for it when the time comes. Austin is an amazing kid, especially with girls- he takes after his father!" Dinner was quiet as Lucy and Denise didn't want to say anything while Beth and Ben wisely knew that it was best to let the day sink in. Denise kept close to Lucy, with Denise eventually falling asleep in her lap while watching TV. Beth and Ben had to smile at the sight, especially as Lucy fell asleep soon after and hugged Denise close while they slept. Benny tried to pick his wife up but upon seeing her sleeping with Denise he backed away to talk about the day with his parents. Ben asked what was going on, to which Benny sadly told him, "GlobalUSA is afraid of bad publicity that the Halls being murdered has brought the show. They want us to drop her in favor of another girl, a genetic girl. It doesn't matter that it doesn't make sense or the publicity would be worse, the fact that the orphan with murdered parents is starring in the show is worse in their eyes." Benny shook his head and shot back, "I told them that she's the true star of the show and is needed by us to drive the storylines and advise us on plots and character development. Either she stays on or we shut the show down costing them millions. We got our way, but we have to have an overseer to 'ensure that no bad influences are allowed'. Aunt Valerie is looking into him and knows who'll get the job. It's going to be Jasper Warner. He's one of their biggest 'yes men' and has a strong hatred for us. We're the ones who got most of their shows to be canceled because they couldn't match our ratings and we stole away their biggest sponsors for years when we were on the other network. We also beat his shows in all of the awards, especially their slanted awards show. Us bringing over 'Tickle Your Funny Bone' made him look worse as all of the shows that he created were booted from reruns to make way for us." He growled that last part, with Ben asking if Valerie had her way with the network-appointed producer yet or had he forced himself onto the show without her knowledge. Benny grinned and shot back, "He's in over his head and doesn't know that he's fighting someone who can destroy the network from above without anyone being able to stop her. He thinks that he can do as he wants because he's close friends with the network's president. He's a hack, but he's a connected hack. We have to tolerate him, but he's going to have zero say over what is being created and even less pull with the network if he tries to put a stop to our show. We've never played network politics before, but it's high time we did. Uncle John has GBS' stocks hostage and they know it, so GlobalUSA won't mess with the show directly." Denise was asked about, with Beth casually telling him, "She's starting to accept what happened and has been told about the others. She hasn't had a full breakdown yet, but Francesca has helped a lot to break her shell. Lucy is also helping, even if Denise might be helping Lucy just as much. She's in need of her in-laws more than ever and Denise is causing her to see that we're here for her too. Don't look too much into this, Lucy has a lot of old feelings that she's kept buried that Denise has brought up. I almost wish that she had been adopted by one of us but she was adamant that she wasn't worthy even if she was." Benny left it alone, his wife wasn't from Winnisimmet and had been thrust into their lives thanks to the efforts of mutual friends. Denise dredged old feelings of insecurity that had been kept at bay for three years but were starting to surface again, with Benny knowing that Lucy's so-called friends were behind most of her insecurity. They were jealous of her hitting the jackpot in falling in love with Benny so she was able to take advantage of the family's wealth and connections to live a life of luxury. Benny left for home, leaving Lucy to sleep with Denise pinning her in place. In the morning he came by to pick up Lucy and have a long talk with her about her feelings and show that he loved her and that her friends were trying to break them apart. He purposely had her keep away form her friends all day so she could see just what they were really like online while she wasn't around, with a disinterested friend allowing her to see just what they were saying about her behind her back and why. Denise was told that she had helped Lucy without knowing it, causing Denise to feel better and allowed Beth to prepare her for their trip out west for her parents' funeral. Denise was reluctant to go, but it was going to be something that the entire extended Herman family went to: the Hermans, Kellys, and Penas were going west in a show of support, with Denise seeing that she was family now. Denise had cousins who were happy to drop everything for her as well as 2nd- cousins who were fighting for her behind her back with firepower that she'd never known and were happy to do so just because they were family. With nothing to do but wait, Denise enjoyed just sitting with Beth and Ben then was roped into playing with Austin Samuels at Rick and Jaimie's request. Denise learned quickly how babysitting toddlers can be tricky and loud as Austin made her work hard trying to please him while not realizing that she was in a big game with him and losing badly. She enjoyed the challenge and showed him that he wasn't the smart boy that he thought himself to be, especially as she outwitted him during his attempted tantrums. When Jaimie and Rick returned home, both were smiling as Austin was tired and not in the mood for a hug from either parent. Denise was exhausted but stayed a while as Rick and Jaimie needed to talk to her about what was going on the next day and why. She felt a looming dread, which Rick nodded at as Jaimie tried her hardest to say something that wouldn't upset Denise. Finally pulling herself together, Jaimie explained to Denise, "You'll be facing reporters and paparazzi at the airport and at the funeral. Do not get separated, stay close to Aunt Beth and Uncle Ben. You'll be in a large group with the kids trying hard to make you happy, let them give you their attention." Rick added, "The reason for asking you to do that is we don't want to give Jasper Warner anything to use against you. He hates you on principle, you three destroyed his shows costing him money. He was part-owner of the production company making four shows canceled over the course of three seasons of your show, he barely kept his job at the network and is looking for any reason to take you out. Don't let him get alone with you, don't listen to anything he tries to shove your way, and don't listen to his threats." Denise looked upset and countered, "He tried to get me fired after filming started on the first season. He hates me because I beat his friend's daughter for the part. My being born a boy only made him hate me more- if I wasn't protected by your mother I would have been fired immediately! Mom and dad had to pay him to leave me alone, your mom never learned that but mom has the canceled checks at home." Rick nodded to Jaimie as he wrote down what Denise had said then added a stern, "This changes things. He has no right to threaten the show especially over your hiring. He's getting fired, as soon as we find that check mom will force the network to fire him. He doesn't belong at the network, he's done nothing but cost them money and none of his shows have brought in viewers. He's terrible, you have done a lot more in five years as a star than he's done in 25 as an executive! You deserve his job more than him!" Rick's strong defense made Denise happy and helped ease some anxiety. Jasper Warner was the worst of the worst and the last of the, "Good old boy" style of supporting friends no matter how bad they are at their jobs. Denise was a true value to any show while Jasper was detrimental to all shows. Before Denise could leave, she was forced to put Austin to bed as the toddler refused to go down unless Denise tucked him in. It was a telling moment for Rick and Jaimie: he showed Denise that she was his new babysitter and he wanted her to be close to him and he wouldn't sleep unless she told him to. She had done something special, she was one of the few he cared for closely. Denise was exhausted when she arrived home, with her telling Beth and Ben what Austin did and how he wouldn't let her out of his sight until his parents got home. It was sweet, and she enjoyed all of it to the point of smiling at some of the memories. When she was asleep she dreamed of babies ad having a little baby like Austin, even if the baby wasn't her own blood she still wanted to be a mom to one. In the morning, she prepared for the flight west. Outside the house she was introduced to the Penas and the Kellys with Denise having trouble believing that Kylie King and Amanda Kelly were like her: they were beautiful in her eyes. Amanda even looked younger than she appeared, with Denise not believing that she could be almost as old as her husband William- 52-years-old. Francesca introduced her sister-in-law/longtime friend Jessie Pena, her husband Reed, their daughter Gabrielle, and son Lee causing both kids to smirk and leading their parents to warn them not to try any of their usual tricks on Denise. Francesca's husband/Jessie's brother Donald was stoic over his niece and nephew's actions but told his own sons Brice and Royce to behave leading to the cousins giggling at being in trouble before they had done anything. Francesca introduced her cousins Dante Kelly and his wife Margaret, with both happy to meet the new cousin as well as the talk of the family the past week. Margaret blushed as Francesca whispered to the intimidated Denise, "Margaret is Al's sister-in-law and both she and Kylie have other girls who are like you as close friends and family so you don't have to worry about them. Mia, Fiona's wife, and Maisie, whom you heard about briefly, are both like you. Kylie's 2nd and Jaimie's 1st-cousin Nichole is as well. She's even married to Maisie's husband's brother." Denise understood what she meant with Kylie asking Francesca if she had told her about all of them or had she only heard of some of the girls and boys like Denise. Francesca sighed and explained to her, "It isn't for me to tell without their consent. You know this better than anyone: you don't out anyone. It's a private matter, I can't tell who is like her without their OK. I haven't heard from Nichole nor have have I heard from Maisie so won't tell their stories beyond being your friend, I don't want her knowing some things about Sydney or Megan or even Hunter yet. I had to tell about Brady to keep her from thinking about hurting herself, but that's it." Denise was listening and asked what she meant. Margaret smirked then shot back a quick, "They are all like you. Nichole Smith is my closest friend, no offense to Kylie. Maisie King is another of my friends and married to my Kylie's wife's and Nichole's husband's brother. Sydney Stoner is a genius and the one you were warned about accidentally making her girlfriend pregnant even though she was a girl for four years before that. Megan is Ian and Sheila Bailey's daughter and starting to become a girl. And Brady is Addison and Carmen's daughter and another baby girl accidentally made because her mothers didn't realize they could make a baby despite her mother Addison transitioning, she's also the girl that you were told about castrating herself because her principal and psychologist saying she had to do so to show that she was really a girl and it wasn't a phase that she was going through." Before Francesca could say anything, Margaret smirked and shot a quick, "I asked, they said yes to her knowing. This is too important, she needs to know that there are others who are around and like her. It's for her own good to know. They are all different kinds of girls at different stages of transitioning and are warnings about what can happen to her and what she may have felt during her transition so far. She needs to know about the seven of us getting kidnapped and raped, she needs to know that Brady was so afraid that she'd never become a girl that she mutilated herself, she needs to know what can happen if she has sex with a girl before she has her surgery. It's important information to know." Denise grew scared, which was the reaction that Margaret wanted from her. Margaret knelt in front of her and hugged her, telling her affectionately, "They got what the had coming to them: all of them had the same happen to them. They were castrated in prison by other inmates for hurting girls. Just because Maisie, Nichole, Kylie, and Mia are transgender doesn't mean that they can rape and abuse them. And the men who forced Brady to hurt herself were bankrupted and sent to prison, Brady likes boys and is an identical twin so her genes will get passed down, but that doesn't matter to anyone because she that it happened mattered most. You needed to know that there are consequences to hurting yourself and you needed to know that we have all been through a lot together and understand your feelings." Benny arrived with Lucy, Marcy, and Jack. Margaret asked if they had kept Jack's brother Will's brood at bay, leading to Margaret shaking her head and telling Denise, "We''re flying out on the big plane this time. It's a big jetliner that the family uses when it's a lot of us, Uncle John wanted you to not feel so constricted and it has a large enough space so you can spread out and think. Will's kids aren't so bad, they take after their mother in most ways and only look like their father. Uncle John isn't happy that Lilly acts like her mother, though." Denise had to smile at that as it was like what Skylar Finn had told her. Margaret nodded and gave a big smile as Francesca added a quick, "It's genetic, it's a family curse against him because he looks a lot like his mother. He tried to find a Wicca priestess to lift the curse but sadly not even she could fix it for him. He's doomed to be the butt of their jokes." The whole group laughed at that making Denise smile at something so funny happening to a man that she felt was the most powerful person she'd ever met. As they laughed the last to arrive were Willie and Kennedy Pena, with the two asking if Denise had her affairs in order. That was followed by Reed and Jessie both nodding and Reed adding an angry, "I had to do some work to get her covered, but she's fine and need only have the report from Jessica and Fiona ready to be read by a CDPSS social worker. The state has a vested interest in backing off, they were more than happy to sign off but have to go by the books officially. They don't want my phone call to my colleague after the meeting to lead to a call to them. I hate working on a private trip, but for Denise I'm more than happy to help out." At the airport the group was met by Jack and his family, with the Bollingers refusing to let Denise go it alone even if she had the Hermans with her. Francesca knew that it was all a show to have supporters at the funeral to give Denise space from any reporters and paparazzi as well as show Denise that she had a close group behind her who knew her well. Jack might not have been as close to her now as Benny was but it was still a family gathering with the Bollingers being family in multiple ways. Zeke and Gabby Bollinger were the first to say hello, with Zeke explaining to Denise, "I'm your phys ed teacher at the middle school so will be the one who gets the most work from kids trying to hurt you and use you. You know what Dorothy and Vance Taylor told you, I'm even tougher on protecting kids. Just ask any of the other students about me when I'm upset at them trying to harm girls like you." Gabby moved him off so Denise could meet Courtney and Michael Finn, Jessie's sister and brother-in-law and Jack's cousin. Michael looked like his mother which gave her some comfort, if he was like her then Denise wasn't afraid of what might happen. Courtney was soothing to her, with Michael telling the overly caring Courtney that she needed to back off of the nursing mindset. The last to be introduced was Walter Bollinger, who complained that he was missing work because of them going across the country to pretend to do something for someone they didn't know just to make it look like they cared. He saw the look of shame on Denise's face and tried to say something but backed away when his mother's glare caught his attention. Gabby sent him on his way and explained to Denise, "He's missing time with his girlfriend. He felt obligated to go even after we told him he didn't have to, he doesn't want his father disappointed at him again. He doesn't mean it, he just doesn't know how to be responsible or see that we do things for a reason. We're going because you need us, not because we feel obligated to go or make it look better." She hugged the crying Denise, with Walter looking away in shame as the others tried hard to not show pity for both Denise and him. Gabby whispered into Denise's ear, "We're all here for you. Amy and her husband Oscar couldn't be here because of work but would have wanted to be here. None of us feel it's obligation, it's family support. All of us are here for you, even if you don't realize it yet. You're Jack's little buddy, his surrogate sister and the closest he had to family for three years when he wasn't with us. You're family to him so you're family to us and family supports one another." Jack's brother Will was happy to tell Francesca that his kids stayed home with their grandmother so that they could work and not be in the way, with Francesca countering, "So they are doing more than you do at home?" He gave her a nasty look which was countered by his wife Claire happily adding, "He's just a big clumsy guy when it comes to cleaning, you know he's banned from using a broom! I don't know how you can mess-up sweeping but Will manages to do that." Claire hugged Denise and introduced her to her mother-in-law Beverly and father-in-law Jake. Jake and Jack clearly looked like father and son, with Will favoring his mother heavily. Jake caught her glances and happily told Denise, "He's his mother's son, but is adopted by me. He and Jack are jokers but Jack is able to rein it in most of the time. Sadly, Will only does so when Claire yanks him back." Claire smirked and caused Will to back off of a joke allowing Denise to see just what he meant. Claire had an air of comfort that made Denise calmer allowing her to accept things at face value enabling her to sit with Beverly in private for a few minutes so Denise was prepared for what was going to be told to her the next day. It was scary, but Beverly didn't seem to be scary to her- just motherly. Denise noticed that the plane had "Finn" on it, to which Beverly explained, "We're in John Finn's private jet. It's a family trip, Claire, Michael, and Willie are directly related to him but all of us are family and it's important that you have your privacy so he won't allow us to fly commercial if he can send us on a private jet. We hate it when he does that, but he's right this time. Claire could have flown in on the smaller Peterson Manufacturing jet, but she opted to instead go with us. Before you ask, Claire is one of the Petersons so gets those kind of perks but she rarely uses them. This private plane doesn't get used much but John would rather it be on standby for use than fly us out where paparazzi can harass you." Getting down to business, Beverly explained to Denise, "We recovered all of your stolen money and are in the process of securing it from potential creditors. Your parents also left you a hefty amount that is in the process of being investigated to see where the money came from. We believe that it's from their use as agents by actors and writers that they never reported to the government thus never paid taxes on. The two have a lot of business listed but little actual court or assessing work that is recorded as being done by them. It's a lot of money, they must have hidden it from their murderers in order to fund their lavish lifestyle instead of paying their debts. You get every penny as their heir, anyone who comes forward will have to show how they are owed and as there's no contracts or notes of debts it is safe to assume that the ones coming forward are in business with the murderers." Getting down to the nitty-gritty, she explained to Denise, "As it stands, you have $2.5 million from your salary over the five years on the show, another $500,000 from working on commercials and movies, a house valued at $3 million paid by your parents in full, and their luxury cars. We're working with the state to ensure that you pay proper inheritance taxes but due to them being the victims of violent crime and you're a minor, it's likely you won't have to pay a penny. I'm going for every legal loophole and it's a lot of money that the state has to prove is owed to them making it a futile fight." Denise was floored. She was a multi-millionaire. She hadn't realized that she had made so much money but knew that her parents liked to show off to others that they had wealth. Beverly led Denise back to her seat and let Francesca calm her. Donald was busy with the boys so she wasn't disturbed but Denise did find comfort in the boys' affection once they weaseled the chance to be close to her out of their father. They hugged Denise and made her take a nap with them, the three asleep for much of the flight with the boys smiling when it was time to sit in their seats again. Gabby had to hide her smile as her son was showing his maturity while Walter felt shame at being such a selfish jerk towards Denise without realizing just how serious the situation was and how much she had needed them. Denise picked up on his shame and looked longingly at him, hoping that she would be able to get him to forgive her. He hugged her after they landed, unknowingly giving her what she needed and helping to ease a lot of the tension in Walter as he accepted that she was family. In the car, Denise sat beside Walter and had her head on his shoulder both calming her and giving him a sense that she needed his closeness. At the hotel, she asked him why he was aloof towards her. He took a second to gather his thoughts then explained, "I'm nothing like Jessie or Courtney or Jack. I'm just the family's oddball, the one who doesn't fit in with anyone and nobody likes because I'm nothing like my sisters. My friend Jasmine only puts up with me because we've always been together, Louis only cares about being around girls and hangs out with Jasmine to get at her friends. None of use are close, we've just been together for so long that we are used to each other." Denise asked who those two were. He sighed and told her, "Jasmine Flynn and Louis York. The two are 1st-cousins so don't feel any attraction to one another. They live nearby so were always together. Louis can't stop talking about Jasmine and she always talks with him before and after class. I hate disturbing them, they feel bad for me, none of our classmates want to be around me because of Uncle John and dad. Those two kept me around for some reason." Denise saw the pain in his eyes but then noticed the smile on Gabby's face. Denise suddenly realized he had missed what was going on all along and didn't see that Jose was his friend and wasn't there because of feeling obligated to be there- he was always there for him and did what friends did, they stuck close. And it hit her harder that Walter missed the blatant reason for Jasmine being there: she was in love with him and was more than just a cousin to Jose, Jasmine wanted to be Walter's girlfriend! Denise asked how he really felt about Jasmine, getting Walter to look away and mumble, "Jasmine is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and deserves better. She never dated anyone, she should have had a great boyfriend but she doesn't have one. I hate seeing her jealous of her other friends, she deserves to be with a boy who loves her. She won't date any boy from school, she never liked them." She asked about Louis, getting Walter to tell her, "He's fine with me most of the time but whenever we're with Jasmine he gets upset for some reason. I don't understand him, he's cool most of the time and like the same stuff but Jasmine makes him get weird and can't focus on anything but her. She's not into him so I don't know why he's acting that way, but he keeps talking about Jasmine for some reason." Denise laughed at hearing that, causing the others to laugh at Walter's look of anger. Denise finally said, "She's in love with you! She loves you and he's trying to get you together with her! He knows you like her, he knows she likes you- he wants you together! He's your friend even if you don't see it, he's doing what Benny and Jack always do. He's your friend, he's always been your friend, he just doesn't say it!" Walter wanted to say otherwise, but Gabby took him aside and explained, "She hasn't dated anyone due to wanting you. She loves you, she's always worn those skimpy clothes to try to get you to date her and see that she's not just Mia's little sister or Louis' cousin. She loves you, she has always loved you. She's the only girl who can put up with your obliviousness and wants to marry you. She really loves you." He looked ashamed but his mother sighed and told him, "She is doing for you what your father did for me all those years before you sisters and brother forced us to go out. She just wants you to be happy and until you see that she likes you that way she has no problem waiting. You're young but you're in love with her too. I can see it, I know the look. It's how I was when I was your age. I loved your father for years but couldn't admit it to myself, I don't want you to make the same mistake that I made and find the wrong girl while Jasmine waits for you to come to your senses." Denise was happy to see that Walter was told the truth and seeing that he wasn't alone and never was. It made Denise happy to help someone, with Francesca catching her look and casually adding, "You're one of us alright, you did what family does- you told him the truth and got him to see that he was being too childish. We wanted to help him but only you had the fortitude to tell him yourself. He needed a dose of reality and got it, he's going to be a lot happier with Jasmine and Louis, especially now that they're the best of friends without the tension between them." At the hotel, the group watched as Walter made a video call to Jasmine with her asking if everyone was alright. He immediately asked her if she was in love with him causing her to cry leading to him telling her that he loved her too and wanted her to be happy and thought that she didn't deserve him. She told him that he was stupid for believing that and wanted him to come to her as she didn't want to harm their close friendship, with both admitting that they loved one another while Louis giggled off to the side. Denise was hugged and kissed on the cheek by Walter with Jasmine telling him to treat her right and be the best cousin to Denise or Jasmine would ensure he was dumped. Walter smiled as she was fiery, the attitude that he loved about Jasmine and what had always caused him to stand up and listen as she did a commanding voice that you couldn't help but follow instructions from. Jasmine smiled at the listening Denise, knowing full well that she'd have to tell her sister and cousins all about Denise soon after. Denise saw that Michael and Courtney were looking at her funny, to which Francesca happily told her, "It's just how they are, they're the most parental of us. They can't help but see what could have been and what they have avoided thus far with their kids. Their eldest son is the leader of his generation, even if he isn't the oldest. It's only a matter of time before he marries and becomes a father. We love him, but it takes Johnny a long time to see what's in front of his face- sadly, it's a trait learned from Michael." Michael gave Francesca a glare while Courtney blushed. Francesca started to show Denise pictures of the kids with Francesca asking about the pretty girl with Johnny. Francesca happily explained, "She's his 2nd-cousin Sophia Peterson, Claire's niece. She's the oldest of the next generation and one of the best as she's smart and savvy and knows how to get around rules without breaking them." The way Denise was looking at Sophia's picture caused Francesca to realize that it was more that just seeing a pretty girl- Denise was starting to see Sophia as a sexy woman. She smiled and showed Denise more pictures, this time of cousins Ophelia and Lilian Smith and finally Cat Finn. All of them caused the same reaction in Denise, one of lust at seeing beautiful women for the first time. Realizing that there was something major going on, Francesca excused them and led Denise upstairs to their suite to talk in private. Sitting her down, Francesca asked about Denise's reaction to which Denise looked down in shame. Francesca hugged her, letting her know that it was alright but Denise still felt it was the wrong reaction to seeing the pictures. Denise finally admitted, "I can't help it, they are just too beautiful. I like their breasts and their butts, it's hard not to notice them. I don't know why I'm looking at them, I see their faces but can't help but look at their bodies and want to feel them. I look at you and I don't feel that way, but seeing them makes me want to see what they look like naked. I'm weird, I shouldn't feel that way about girls." Denise was in tears at admitting that. Francesca hugged her deeply and after Denise stopped crying she explained to the distraught girl, "I told you about Reyna already, she fell in love with and married a girl. You know about Brady, well her mother Addison is also like you and fell in love with her mom Carmen when they lived together as roommates. You know about Sydney, she was just like Addison right down to accidentally getting her girlfriend pregnant. You can like girls, it's natural. Your parents thought that you had to like boys because you are a girl, that can't be further from the truth. You just found out that you like girls sexually, what you feel is natural. It's sexual attraction. You aren't attracted to me because I'm your sister, just like you aren't attracted to Lucy or Marcy. You saw Jasmine but you didn't feel the same way about her. But you saw Sophia and Ophelia and Lillian and felt attraction. They are fine with you liking their bodies, they love knowing that they have that affect on girls as well as boys. They are all dating, but it still makes a girl feel great to know that someone finds them sexy." Denise still felt shame, to which Francesca asked her, "Are you afraid that you are going to be weirder as a lesbian than as straight? There's girls out there who'll overlook what you have between your legs, we know that some are happy to know that you have a physical way of showing them that you find them as sexy as other girls. You're going to be beautiful and will have lesbians all over you, just not TERFs." TERFs caused Denise to cringe. Francesca sighed and explained to her, "They are like rats: multiply by the hundreds easily and don't actually hate transgender girls, they just hate that some of them are better looking than them. We know quite a few TERFs as well as a lot of people who are quick to jump on the bandwagon against transgender people. They are loud and try to upset people, but they are also shown to be jealous and laughably horrible people with very little prompting. You're going to be alright, don't try to get into a logic battle with them as they'll lose and resort to trying to get physical." Denise hugged Francesca, with Francesca telling her softly, "It's alright, you're a lesbian. Kylie will talk to you about this if you want, she had it as bad as you. There were girls who hated her because she had a pretty girlfriend and they couldn't find any girl because they were big TERFs who made all lesbians look bad. Kylie wants to help you, she's going to be your cousin and that's what cousins do." After washing away their tears, Francesca led Denise downstairs and gave a nod to Kylie so that all of the others knew why they had left for a bit. Kylie gave Denise a big smile leading Denise to see that it was going to be alright, especially as Kylie's wedding ring was visible. Denise was going to ask about Kylie's wife, to which Kylie smiled and explained, "Jordan is at home, she's covering for Aunt Beverly as she wanted you to have the best help available and she can't hold her tongue like Aunt Beverly can." Beverly shot back a happy, "Jordan is spending the week with her parents, they don't get to see the kids much since moving down to Florida. Jordan is a mama's girl and their daughter is too much like Kylie so it's like having her there. The kids have been good so far so the trip to Disneyworld was due, Kylie doesn't like it much so isn't missing much. She prefers going to VentureRealm more." Denise knew the name from somewhere, Francesca smiled and told her, "You starred in a commercial for the park last year. You never went there because the commercial was all about getting there rather than actually visiting the park. Your parents would have flipped their lids if they knew that the park is owned by a woman who is like you and who happily employs performers who are like you." The group went to dinner together, with Denise trying hard to go unnoticed. She blended in with most of the crowd, especially as she looked like any other tween girl out with her parents eating with family. For the first time in years she felt normal, like any other girl out with aunts and uncles. Being alongside Beverly, Jake, Zeke, and Gabby helped keep her from getting noticed as being with the Hermans would have caused her to get noticed as Benny and Jack were immediately spotted by media as they waited to be seated. Denise knew to not draw attention to themselves and let the duo put on an act, with Will trying hard to not crack a joke over his brother suddenly turning into his comedic alter-ego to keep attention away from Denise. Walter kept Denise close, with her understanding that they had to appear to be brother and sister so that Denise didn't get spotted and have to endure tough questions. The group were escorted inside while Benny, Jack, Marcy, and Lucy endured the reporters asking them questions about what they were doing there, why they were back in Los Angeles, who they were with, and what was going on with their show now that the Halls were murdered. Benny was slick and kept an air of playfulness as he toyed with them, only saying, "We're here to eat. We're with family and friends, a lot of people who're waiting for us inside. As for our show, you know as much as we do." He wasn't joking as he purposely didn't know the status of the show at his own demand. The business of the show was left to Valerie and Beverly, Benny and Jack were producers and head writers but all of the business side of things were handled by Inferno Productions of which they were only part owners. The two were happy to not know, it helped immensely as they weren't forced to endure the any network attempts to circumvent them nor battle over salaries for stars and costs to run the show. Benny's uncle William came out to see what was keeping the foursome, with him casually telling any of the reporters who demanded to know who he was that he was one of them and wouldn't hesitate to have a discussion with their stations regarding attempts to manipulate what the duo had said as well as ensure that the newspapers printed the truth instead of rumors regarding the foursome. He had them at attention and waited for them to call his bluff. He casually mentioned that their asking about the deaths of the Halls was both hurting any criminal prosecution and harming a minor due to Denise being in the care of someone who wasn't afraid to go after people trying to harm someone in their care. William smirked as he made a phone call to one of the most powerful publishers on the west coast then the heads of several stations known for twisting the facts, leading to his claims being verified as phones started to ring among the videographers and reporters. William didn't have to do much more than tell the few people he contacted that the son and daughter of one of their shareholders was being harassed by the horde of reporters leading to them backing away as well as realizing that their research lacked a few key things: Michael and Courtney Finn were related to Jack, thus John Finn was involved. John in any sort of involvement meant death to shares leading to firings and shakeups- them being first to go! William returned to see more people sitting around the tables as Denise looked afraid at there suddenly being three new people joining them. Francesca smirked and told Denise, "These are Billy Pena, Kylie's little brother and Benny and Jack's big buddy, and my cousins Junior and Aggy Kelly. I told you about Aggy being friends with Anita, well I should have figured that she'd find a way of getting here to meet you or face Anita's wrath. Don't worry about Aggy, she'd infuriate her cousin Sydney if she upset you." Aggy gave Denise a big hug while Junior and Billy held back. Aggy offered Denise a happy, "Hannah was right: you are a looker. Some boobs on you and you'll look better than any of us." Denise blushed while Francesca, Kylie, Jessie, Courtney, Marcy, and Lucy all gave Aggy big looks of anger which was followed by the adults all laughing at Aggy getting one over on the ladies. Aggy loved to be a pain to them when she had reason to do so, Denise needed to feel more accepted and doing that worked a lot faster than trying to prove her acceptance could. Dinner was quiet after that as Denise seemed to relax among so many people who knew about her and were only seeing her as herself. After dinner, they were followed back to the hotel by the media with an upset William trying to track down why they were in pursuit. Inside the privacy of their rooms, he had to explain to the group, "We were exposed. Someone in the restaurant noticed Denise and told the media that she was with us. They're trying to corner her to get a story, they don't know that she's with Ben and Beth yet but they'll learn soon enough. Keep an eye open, don't let her get cornered." Denise grew scared, Junior smirked and Aggy added, "She's going with us. Junior expected this and had a place ready to go. She's staying with us at the base, they can't enter without setting off a lot red flags. Billy's guys are more than happy to help out, especially given grandpa's legacy still looms over us." Denise was packed for the night, with Francesca telling Denise, "Flora and Ella are readying rooms for mom, dad, and you at their house. I hope the baby doesn't keep you awake, but it's normally alright. It's only for the rest of the trip, you'll be back home in a week. Don't worry about the base, they know not to go after Billy or Junior or else face court martial for bad conduct." Denise was swiftly whisked away by Junior and Aggy, with Billy, Jack, and Benny doing their best to get attention on themselves while ensuring that nobody noticed Junior slipping away. Billy was already known to the media as Benny and Jack's friend, with Benny being his 2nd-cousin making him being at the hotel not newsworthy especially as Billy was an open book who didn't break the law- he enforced it. To go after Billy was pointless, especially as the Penas were an extremely powerful family with a lot of connections to key people who were unafraid of media attention and unafraid to sue. Denise was unnoticed in the din created by Benny, Jack, and Billy leaving the hotel to greet fans of the duo outside. The drive to the base was one that Denise had been used to thanks to her parents living in one of the Orange County suburbs, but it was still tense as she felt like they could be pursued by and of the media at any moment without knowing that they were being followed. Aggy tried to calm her but it was tough to do as Denise was agitated, with her on the verge of a nervous breakdown from fear. Once inside the base Denise saw that they weren't followed and no cars were trying to enter after them. Junior drove on to a secluded part of the based that was clearly residential and showed Denise up to her room. It was spartan, but it was better than being harassed and unable to leave the room at all. Once she was settled in, Denise went downstairs to where Aggy was and was softly told, "Junior works as a public affairs officer for the US Army, doing intermediary work with movies and TV shows so is in a key position for the Army. He's been overseas and saw combat, but has settled into a life of being one of the go-to advisers for the Army as well as helping to ensure that the Army isn't exploited for some of Hollywood's political activist pieces. He does a great job and doesn't earn a penny for his work, he has a colleague handle anything involving Inferno and ensures that Inferno doesn't use him unfairly." Denise started to tire out and walked up to her room, with Aggy smiling at her falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She gave Junior a loving look, to which Junior told her, "Dad's already started to ask about grandchildren. I'd rather wait but if you want to be a mom then we'll have them." Aggy smirked causing him to complain, "You seriously walked me into that? OK I guess I had it coming this whole time. Everyone else is having kids so it's high time we did. Your cousins are a bad influence on us- making us feel obligated to follow them. I hope this wasn't planned." She smirked and shot back, "Your birthday present was more than just a nice dinner...or did you forget? I guess it's my fault for not paying attention, I should have waited a couple of days. Oh well, the little one will be coming in seven months if my guess is right." Denise could hear them and smiled at her luck, it was pure family love and she enjoyed every minute of it. The two were what she hoped cousins would be like, caring yet giving her space and not interest in using her for their own interests. They were like their relatives, like Francesca and Benny. Denise was surprised to see Billy and the Penas there the next morning, with Billy telling the shocked girl, "Mom and dad wanted to see the base and Junior had to do some work today at one of the studios so I got stuck playing tour guide. Dad's ex-Navy so it's like old times with him even if he never had to serve aboard a ship. I'm not getting back on another ship unless I have to so the brass thought that they would punish me and now I'm stuck up here until my enlistment ends in a year." Kylie told her brother to stop whining as he wanted to be there while Reed was stoic but annoyed at the way Billy tried to act annoyed while actually happy to be away from ships and actually doing what he loved to do. Lee and Gabrielle wanted Denise's attention so got her to focus on them, leading Denise to enjoy some time walking around with the Penas while Aggy talked on the phone with someone. Denise was enjoying the Penas, they were unlike the others and were more like families she'd seen on TV. After two hours of walking the time came to leave, with Aggy staying behind with Billy. Willie and his wife Kennedy didn't speak during the drive, with Kylie enjoying the chance to keep Denise company as Denise realized that they were going to some place important. Immediately she spotted the offices of the production company that owned the show, with Kylie nodding to her that they were expected. Denise was petrified. This was her first trip to the offices since the big blowup after she got outed. She had no idea how involved any of the Penas were in Inferno Productions, only that they had ties to it. The walk inside felt like forever, but in reality it was short as they were taken to a private elevator and led into an inner office that Denise had never been to before. The Hermans, Bollingers, and Finns were all there and saw Denise relax as all of them were smiling at the way Lee and Gabrielle dragged her in. The two smiled at the adults and put on their cute faces, but none of them gave them attention which had the desired impact of making them pout at not getting the reaction that they wanted. Denise calmed after a bit and asked why everyone was there. Michael took the initiative and explained to her, "We're all shareholders in Inferno Productions. I'm hear on Dad's, my brother Logan's, and sisters Jaimie's and Ella's behalf. The four of them own 75% of Inferno with 13% being owned by the rest of us through Dad's gift to the family as a whole and 12% is owned by the three senior producers. You've met all of them: Nora Biggs, Brice Walsh, and Lee Meyer, and had bit parts in Lee and Brice's movies two years ago. Nora keeps close tabs on you in hopes that you'd be a breakout star, things changed but they haven't really changed since it doesn't matter anymore now that the secret is out." Denise tried to comprehend things but stopped when three people entered and greeted the group with a big hug and kisses. Nora saw the scared Denise and beckoned her over to Nora's desk, with Nora then telling Denise, "Despite complaints from that annoying loudmouth Jasper Warner to fire you, we don't see any reason to do so and won't. It's not your fault that you were the victim of someone's actions nor does it matter that you are transgender. He thinks that he can get his own actress hired to manipulate things, but we won't play his game. I've been at it longer than he has been alive and I have gotten more powerful people than him fired for lesser mistakes. It won't work with us, you're the one that we want and you're the only one that we could see in the part. Just because he hates that we are hiring a real transgender girl and focusing on the drama instead of comedy doesn't allow him any right to destroy his network's newest show especially as he's done nothing to help them at all!" Lee asked if he had sent more threatening emails causing Denise to look at the others for help. Reed did a look of contemplation then countered, "He's not dumb enough to do it again, not after he got caught by corporate HR. He's more subtle, he'll go at her through the media to try to make her look bad enough that it causes GlobalUSA to either force you to fire her or kill the show early to save face. He doesn't know about the poison pill in the contract that prevents sudden cancellation for issues other than ratings nor does it allow them to cancel the show without first paying the full costs for five seasons up front regardless. The show is safe, he isn't. It'll cost less to get rid of him than give in to him." There was no more talk as Michael got down to business on behalf of his father and siblings, giving the timid Denise a glimpse into what went into deals beyond simply paying money for creating content. It was fascinating to her, with the others seeing that she was enthralled and learning a lot from watching. It helped a lot that she was simply there as just another person and not the center of all talk like usual. Once the meeting was finished, Denise became the focus as Brice came forward to explain to her, "There will be interest in the funeral of your parents. We have a press release ready to go with the police trying to keep onlookers away. The fact that active military members, a police officer, and the attorney general of your state are involved makes them want to keep things from devolving into utter chaos. It's going to be a simple affair, nobody except you there. The press will think it's being held elsewhere but a few are savvy enough to stake out other places just in case. At your request, they were cremated and it's just an internment ceremony so there's little to be said during it." Denise hadn't requested any of that, but looking at Beth and Ben she understood that they wanted it to be over with fast and with the least impact on Denise. Denise wasn't up to making arrangements so they did it on her behalf, even if Denise didn't care about what happened nor did she want to make a big fuss about it. In her eyes, they were dead because of themselves so she didn't have to do further. Once the worst talk was over with, Nora became the doting mother and asked Michael why his sister or his parents weren't there and this time not to lie to them. Michael cringed then confessed, "Mom and dad are helping Cat with the baby. You know how Cat is and how much dad babies Cat. JD and his wife are struggling with their son so he couldn't be here either. Logan is spending time with the Stoners as their cabin up in New Hampshire. And Ella just can't pull herself away from the business for long enough to attend a meeting even if she's one of the biggest shareholders and better off being here than me. So I'm the odd man out. I'm also one of the few that Jasper Warner can't intimidate as I'm a major shareholder in GBS on my own and can easily cost the corporation billions without breaking a sweat. I've done it before, GloboTech and Acme being the two largest on my resume." Michael smirked at admitting that, with Denise needing to be told by Francesca, "You haven't met them yet for those reasons, Cat's struggling with her second child and JD's wife is having trouble overcoming postpartum depression. JD works hard, but he's overworking himself. It's why Skylar was with Uncle John the other day, she's usually over there when she's not with one of her other aunts and uncles." Denise asked about Logan as it was the first time she'd heard about him. Francesca happily explained to her, "He's just like Uncle John but looks like his birth mom. He doesn't get a lot of time off from his job as an archaeologist, especially during the summer months. He's well-aware of you, he's who Aggy was on the phone with all morning, he called so that the others didn't call and gave you some privacy." The names piled up with Denise trying to figure out just how many relatives John Finn had as she knew of six children by her count. Francesca read her mind and added, "Before you ask, Miles and Sylvia are his other two children. Miles is likely working on a case for the state and Sylvia is away visiting her in-laws and couldn't meet you yet. Miles knows everything, Jaimie had to tell him just in case someone in the state was paid-off by paparazzi to make allegations against mom and dad, and Sylvia never lets any of her siblings go without telling her what's going on with them so Michael already told her last night." Denise tried to comprehend everything and was struggling to realize the gravity of things. She was led out and driven to a large mansion and enveloped in a hug by Ella as soon as Denise exited the car. Ella had a big smile while her wife Flora shook her head at Ella's going overboard yet again. Denise was shown up to a room and tried hard not to gawk at the size of the mansion nor that it was in a swanky, high priced neighborhood that she'd never dream of affording a house in. The Penas and the Bollingers were staying with Francesca so drove on leaving both branches of the Kelly family alone for the night. Benny and Lucy opted to stay in the hotel to keep the media away from them as they'd likely been followed while Jack happily returned to his old condo to enjoy a night alone with Marcy. Margaret Kelly showed Denise the mansion and happily showcased the best part: the pool. Denise couldn't be any more happy as she loved swimming in pools, especially in private where she could do sprints and not have to worry about running into people who were jumping in or just treading water. Margaret softly added, "Don't worry about us making mention of the unwanted part of you, we've seen it all before and I had to see Maisie brutalized because of hers." Margaret led Denise back to Denise's room to change, with Denise being told, "You know about what a group of boys did to us. Well that was only part of it: they brutalized Kylie, Mia, and Maisie because the three were more developed than us. Mia had bigger boobs and she had only been on hormones for just nine months! Maisie had small ones but more defined, she looks like her mother and her mom has small ones but everyone said they're perkier than any of our moms' boobs. Anyway, I saw Mia, Maisie, and Kylie's penises and had seen Mia's for months and Kylie's for years before then so it doesn't impact me. You look great, when you start hormones you'll look even better." Denise felt better about that. She asked Margaret about why she was so accepting, leading Margaret to tell her, "Nichole and dad. Dad told me about his classmate in high school who was a girl inside and who came out after being unable to live as a boy any longer. Then Jaimie came to town and I was told about a girl who stood up for herself and made people see that you are a person not what people see in your underwear. I was then asked to be nice to a new girl in class when we started third grade but that changed because of what happened to her after we were put in the same class. Nichole was hurt when she came to school and needed a friend, I liked her immediately and dad knowing her uncle made it easier as Uncle John, her uncle, was one of dad's favorite people. I can't see anything but the person, not after learning so much about people inside. Kylie, Nichole, Mia, and Maisie are people, even if you have something in common with my brother doesn't mean you aren't a good person." Margaret was smiling at the memories, but saddened as she added, "Some people are born monsters. It's hard to overcome what you were born as. Mia's cousin was a monster, as were Mia's parents. Just Mia's uncle, Reed, Kylie, Billy, and their grandpa were good people in their birth family. Mia refuses to even remember any of her family before her parents adopted her, she's related to Kylie by blood but neither want to remember that. All of them are great people inside, better than their blood family. You're a better person than your parents, we all see it in you. Just asking about what happened to us shows that." Her husband Dante was waiting downstairs for his wife and blushed at her crooked smile. Margaret showed Denise a few pictures and caused Dante to cringe, but it was all in fun as they were simply group shots with the grinning Margaret pointing out who was who and why they were important. Denise saw a lot of faces that she recognized as well as ones that she could assume were relatives, with Margaret blushing at the memories of past fun they had and jokes at one another's expense. Dante was the one who stood out as he was a stark contrast to Margaret and the Kellys. He wasn't like his father and brother, he clearly couldn't be his mother's son, so she assumed he was like her: adopted. Margaret nodded at the revelation, adding, "Uncle William and Aunt Amanda took him in because there was nobody else to take him in. He was a bad kid before he got away from Mia's cousin, but became a great boy after. I fell in love with him right away, he was handsome and smart and dreamy." The love for Dante was clear, especially as Margaret got flustered at saying that. It was sweet that after almost two decades together Margaret felt that way about Dante. Denise couldn't deny that he was one of the handsomest men she'd met, but she felt nothing sexually about him- she liked Margaret more. Denise blushed deeply at the thought and had to go back to her room to get away for a few seconds. It was clear why she had to go, with Dante teasing Margaret about Denise's crush. Margaret teased back that it wasn't her fault that people still found her sexy while nobody cared for him anymore. Amanda Kelly got drafted to talk with Denise about what just happened. She entered Denise's room and found her crying into the pillow, immediately causing her to hug the sobbing girl. Denise looked up at Amanda and felt fear and shame, with Amanda continuing to hug her until she calmed herself. When Denise finally stopped, Amanda lovingly explained to her, "It's alright to feel that way. It's natural to experience them. They won't go away just because you're a girl, they are part of you. You find girls to be attractive, and Margaret is beautiful. A lot of boys and girls drool over her, she hates that she can get that reaction from them but it's hard to hide your beauty sometimes. Don't feel bad because if what your body does naturally, we hate it but it's part of us. Please, don't hurt yourself over it." Denise looked away in shame, mumbling, "I don't like feeling 'it' get hard. I hate it! I'm a girl, not a boy! I don't want to feel like a boy anymore. I don't want this feeling or these things under it." Amanda hugged her again and confessed to her, "The single thing that I regret most in life is that I never saved semen. I felt so adamant that I'd never find a husband to love me for myself that he'd be willing to use my semen to make a baby that I never bothered to save any. Now it's too late, we couldn't have a baby of my own blood. William had Junior, I didn't have a piece of me. I love Junior and Dante deeply, but there are still times that I get jealous or feel like I made a huge mistake. I don't want you to feel the same way, I don't want you to feel like screwed up by not saving semen." Denise looked down in shame, Amanda added, "Brady cut hers out because she knew that her bloodline was secure in her brother. She's an identical twin so only a tiny percentage of herself was lost as her brother's genes are also her genes. Al and Jaimie and even Nichole are fine not having made children of their own making, each has or had a close blood relative allowing their family's bloodline to go on even though they didn't have kids. Al has Thomas, Jaimie had her half- brother. Thomas is a father, Jaimie's brother had two kids- Liv and Eli, two kids she adopted as her own. You're not the same as them, you are going to be a strong woman despite a birth defect. Don't let it control you." Smiling, Amanda asked if Denise felt bad because she felt the stirring or if she felt wrong to like girls. It was an honest question to which Denise couldn't answer. Amanda happily told her, "It's just how your body responds, it doesn't mean you are less of a girl because of it. Brady's mothers and Sydney had to endure the same issue as you, they endured having a penis and ended up being mothers early. You'll be the same way, you'll endure the feeling but you'll adjust to the feeling and enjoy it. It's part of you, let yourself feel like a woman and not let it dictate what you are as a woman." Denise was still feeling upset but understood what she meant. She timidly asked if Amanda really was a girl like her as it was tough to see it. Amanda smirked and shot back, "I'm a dancer so I'm trim and have a lot of muscles. I was always skinny and average height so transitioning was easier for me than a lot of the girls I knew at the transgender clubs. I had an orchiectomy after high school to show my parents it wasn't a whim. With no testosterone I blossomed quickly, and after college I had my surgery. I look like any other woman, but if I showed you my high school picture you'd see that it's me." The two were deep in conversation as Amanda explained her life then had Denise change into a dance outfit to showcase some moves as well as kill time before dinner. Denise had some basic moves learned through choreographed dancing skits on, "Tickle Your Funny Bone" but needed a lot of help to move in a way that Amanda felt she should be able to move. Denise loved the dancing, with the two striking an immediate chord especially as Margaret joined them for some of the last dance parts and showed that she was a great dancer and only missed a step or two due to being inactive for a long time. Dante got dragged into things and forced to dance with Margaret with Denise enthralled at his moves as well as knowing what was coming next. Amanda happily told Denise, "He and Junior loved to help at the studio and learned all of the dancing styles I taught. The kids all dance, it's almost a tradition among them that they learn to dance with at least one style being their favorite. Ballet is my specialty, my two assistants Polly Vincent and Trina Porter-Phillips teach hip- hip, ballroom, and modern styles. You've met Polly's parents already, and Jessica is her sister-in-law. You haven't met Trina or her wife Stephanie yet but they were on vacation with their parents in Europe. Believe me, they'll try to have you over to see what you can do and work with you on your dancing because of the show will have a dance episode and your school has multiple dances including the semi-formal dance. You need to learn more dances." Denise smiled at that, it was going to be fun and she loved knowing that people that knew her would be teaching her how to dance better. Seeing Margaret move with Dante made her feel like it was going to be something that she'd have over others, especially as few had multiple disciplines under their belt. It was a big joke among the cast that certain people could dance better than others, she hid her dancing as it would be an issue among girls but knew none could do more than one style well. Amanda and Denise swam for a bit to calm Denise and show Denise something that she had wanted to know since meeting Amanda: what she looked like post-surgery. No bulge was seen, just a beautiful set of legs that Denise couldn't help but catch glimpses of. Amanda happily told the leering girl, "You'll get there in a few years, I doubt Beth and Ben will let you get away without working out and I know that Jessie will have you in her rehab center working with Trinity on a diet plan if you do get that big." Swimming calmed Denise more than she realized as she was up and down the pool several dozen times before she had to call it a night. She was tired, but felt great as she took a shower. Seeing herself erect thinking about the girls and Amanda caused her some remorse but recalling just what she had been told by Margaret and Amanda made her realize that it was alright, it was natural and she enjoyed it. The feeling only intensified as she started to think about what her ideal girl looked like. Faces of girls she knew and attributes that she liked about girls filled her mind leading to her unknowingly touching her penis then stroking it. When she settled on an ideal face, body, and personality she reached climax, sending semen flinging out of her penis for the first time ever. She panted and felt embarrassed, but realized that she had done something that was a major milestone in her life: made something she hated creating and didn't think about doing it, only about girls that she liked. She accepted that she was a girl but still had a part of her that she didn't want but had to use and it felt good to use it as long as she was thinking about girls. She smiled as she got dressed, with her smile catching Beth on guard as Beth entered to check on her. It was awkward for Denise, to which Beth explained to her, "It alright, I know what happened. It's a major moment for you and it means that you can store some of it for the future. We want you to be happy, it's a thing that you don't like doing but you found that there's part of it you enjoy. Focus on that, because it's part of your life until you're 18. Then, if Jaimie and her colleagues say it's ok, you can have surgery. But until then, it's part of you and you shouldn't hide from it or feel like less of a woman because of it." Denise was in tears and unintentionally said, "Thanks, mom" to Beth. Beth hugged her and kissed her on the cheek and smiled at her. It wasn't meant to come out, but Denise had given Beth what she needed to give to her: confirmation that Denise saw her as her mother. Beth confessed to Denise, "I hoped you'd accept us as your parents. I love having you as our daughter, it gives me what I haven't had in a few years. I love Benny and Francesca, but it's been years since they have needed me as their mom. We've grown to love you and are happy to adopt you as our daughter." The two hugged and allowed Denise to settle, with Beth leading her downstairs to an awaiting group. It wasn't mentioned but it was clear that something happened that caused a subtle change in Denise, one that was needed and helped her immensely. Amanda seemed to get it first followed by Margaret, with a blushing Ben, Dante, and William finally realizing what happened upstairs. Beth placated their looking understanding by telling Ben, "She called me mom. I'll ask Valerie to file the paperwork when we get home, but knowing her she already has the forms ready for us to sign with Jessica and Chloe giving their blessing on paper. She's our daughter, she sees us as her parent already." Nothing further was said as the group ate in silence while Denise stole glances at the others. She felt as if it was a dream and she'd won the lottery, but it was real and she had parents now who loved her. She had come a long way in a short period of time, she was a girl with family and happy with her life now. After dinner, Flora took the initiative and went up to Denise's room to have a private talk that nobody else could have with her. Being the next in line to talk and only one of the ladies to discover sexuality after a long internal struggle, he felt the need to talk to Denise about what happened. She felt that it was her duty to help, especially as she hadn't been able to have one with the other girls so far and owed it to Ella and the others to do her part. Sitting Denise down, Flora admitted, "It's clear what happened during your shower. Everyone can see it in you, you masturbated for the first time as a girl. You probably saw the face of the girl of your dreams and it made you feel amazing. I hated my penis for years and avoided touching it until one day Fiona's friend Jordan was changing and I saw her naked and it hit me: I was like my sister too, I was a lesbian. I loved Jordan deeply but until then I didn't see her as sexy. She wasn't as pretty as Mia or Nancy or even Margaret, but she was beautiful in her own way. I felt weird, I rushed to my room and it wouldn't let me stop thinking about what I saw. Then I saw a picture of Ella and our friends and I couldn't stop thinking about how Ella was starting to mature and how she had curves and how pretty her hair was. Then it hit me: I loved Ella. I wanted to be her girlfriend. I didn't know if she was into girls, I just felt like she was a beautiful woman and I couldn't help being her friend even if I couldn't date her. I told her and she kissed me, then told me that she felt the same way. Mom and dad told us that we had to be on our best behavior from now on because of what Sydney and Addison did, but we were allowed to date. Uncle John couldn't believe that his little girl was going to have a girlfriend and Aunt Valerie had to tell us all about the birds and the bees and what we couldn't do and when we couldn't do it. It was scary but it felt right: I love Ella with all my heart. You'll find a special girl, you know now that you like girls and you can use your penis like any other girl uses her clitoris. Don't think that they don't, because they do." Denise blushed at hearing that, Flora nodded and added, "Our friends Faith and Daisy were caught with dildos when they were 15. They said the girls in school gave them to them because no boy wanted to date Faith because her dad is a federal agent and her mom is a horrible doctor while Daisy was a freak because she was born with a birth defect that made her look like a boy. They ignored Ella have had the same issue, they don't dare insult a Finn even though they stupidly insulted one when they went after Daisy. The two did use them, and got caught and had to admit to liking how they felt on their clitoris. Ella refused to use one, she said if she wanted one she'd use my penis as it's the real thing. We actually did do it a couple of times but the thrill wore off, we didn't like it. We are lesbians, she's happy to be a lesbian and doesn't care what anyone thinks about us as a couple. You'll be the same for a girl in the future, just give it time. Who knows, you might even meet her in school!" Denise went to bed thinking about girls and the image of he dream girl kept coming into her mind. She was tall, skinny, had small breasts, long curly hair, and not afraid to speak her mind. She was a mix of all of the best attributes of women with a personality that was all her own, much like Denise was. She had a nocturnal emission from thinking about her dream girl, leading Denise to feel horrible but it was countered by her knowing that she didn't actually touch her penis: it was from friction making her realize that it really was natural and she couldn't stop it from happening. She let out a sigh as it was a sign that she was becoming a man, and needed help to stop it before it was too late. Beth entered to help Denise get ready. She saw the stained sheets and pajamas and hugged her, offering a consoling, "We'll talk with Trinity about blockers. This is the biggest sign that you need them." Denise took a quick shower and changed, with Beth helping her with her hair and choosing the right dress to wear. Beth didn't flinch at seeing Denise's penis, Denise was grateful for that but Beth felt that it was simply best to not make light of it. It truly didn't look like it belonged on Denise, it looked to be smaller than normal and would have been mistaken for a clitoris to some. Beth's thinking caused her to chuckle. Denise asked what was the matter causing Beth to admit, "It's just that looking at your little birth defect there made me think that it's just an oversized clitoris. Sorry, hon, but it really did look like one to me. You are just barely starting puberty but it's hidden by hair and hard to notice unless you were looking for it. Please don't be upset at that, it was wrong of me to think that." Denise smiled and said, "Thank you, mom. I don't like it but I know I have to keep it. I'm glad that you're able to think that about it, I don't care that I have to keep it until I'm 18. I love you for that, mom." She was in tears causing Beth to kiss and hug her, offering her a soothing hug and quiet, "It's still wrong of me to talk about that. It's there, you know what it's used for, and you know why you can't do harm to yourself because of it. Don't think about it, just leave it alone. It doesn't control you: you control it." Denise smiled at hearing that, Beth led her downstairs and gave Ben the look to tell him that it was fine and they just needed to have a quick, "Girl talk." Ben announced that they were going to have to talk to a social services representative shortly causing Denise to eat breakfast quickly then rush upstairs to wear a dress and look as girly as possible. Beth helped her with her hair and made it look more feminine and a lot like Beth's own hair, only without the subtle curls at the bottom that Beth usually sported. Looking in the mirror, Denise had to hide her tears as she looked like she could be Beth's daughter. She tried hard to not cry but it was tough to not cry at the sight. Beth happily told her, "You're what I hoped my daughter would look like, I'm proud to help you look like my daughter even if we didn't mean to." The two went downstairs and met with the Penas and Bollingers, bringing all three branches together in a show of force just in case it was needed. The fact that Billy, Junior, and Willie were in uniform made an intimidating sight, especially as they were three not to let anyone intimidate them. Reed was the real threat there, he'd be overlooked but he was also the one who would make any rights violations end in a career-ending phone call from both his colleague and the social worker's overseer. The wait was the hardest part, but Denise was kept calm by the kids. Lee and Gabrielle were more than happy to get Denise's undivided attention, especially as the two were listening closely to what their dad was talking about the night before with their grandparents. The little sprites loved to help others, even if it was subtly manipulating them into doing as they pleased for a little while. Francesca was the last to arrive, with Donald grumbling about their sons being in a bad mood over not getting to go to Disneyland again. Seeing their cousins they immediately stopped and hugged Denise so she wasn't upset at them then went with Lee to play "boy games" so they weren't stuck playing "like a girl" with Denise. They weren't trying to be mean, but it stung Denise to hear them say that about her. Gabrielle simply ignored the boys, with her smiling at getting all of Denise's attention and wanting her to simply watch TV with her in the TV room. When they were alone, Gabrielle told Denise, "Lee likes to be girly sometimes. Mommy said he acts like daddy, daddy is a big man. Mommy said the boys will be nicer to girls when they get older, Lee is just bored and wants to keep them out of trouble. Royce is mean when he doesn't get what he wants and Brice does whatever Royce does. Mommy said that they are mad because you can't go with them to Disneyland, they want you to not be sad. They think that all girls are sad and don't do what boys do. I know that's not true, but they are younger than us." Denise nodded and explained to her, "Boys and girls are different but some boys are nice to girls and are friends with girls. Lee is different than Royce and Brice, he is used to girls like me. Brice and Royce do a lot of things all kids do but don't know that some things aren't nice or say what the don't mean. Lee is different. He's your brother, but he's a boy and wants to do different things even if it's girly. You like to do girl things, he likes boy things. Your daddy and mommy treat you the same, but I know that you like to play with dolls and he likes to play with trucks. My mom made me play with trucks and I hated it, my classmate traded with me during playtime and showed me girls can like boy things." She tried to not look upset but Gabrielle told her, "Mommy said you are different than other girls. Aunt Kylie is like you and she is a good auntie to us. Aunt Reyna is mommy's favorite friend, mommy said she is smarter than anyone. Mommy knows a lot, she's always right about people." Gabrielle hugging Denise caused her to feel better, with Gabrielle smiling at knowing what to do to be a good girl for her future aunt. The two quietly played together until Denise was sent for, with Beth and Jessie trying hard to not smile at Gabrielle getting her way with Denise and secretly helping to calm her while Denise's anxiety overtook her. It was sweet, and showed her maternal lineage was strong in her. As Denise entered the dining room where the meeting was being held, the woman sitting at the table had a shocked expression on her face and asked if it was some sort of joke. Beth calmly told her, "This is no joke. This is Dennis AKA Denise Hall in the flesh. Nothing about her has changed except the style of hair and even then it's brushed- out. It hasn't been cut or dyed, just brushed." Denise was seated, then was asked a series of questions that were tough to answer but she tried hard to be truthful. She was anxious but she stated, "I'm not being forced to present as a girl, this is who I am. I was always a girl, my parents were quick to have me dress as a girl once I came out to them. They got me auditions as a girl after a producer 'discovered me' by accident when we went to see a doctor about my dressing but I never hid that I wasn't a 'real' girl in my panties from anyone. Mom and dad, Beth and Ben here, have continued to let me be me at my demand. They got me examined by a psychiatrist and psychologist and got a doctor to examine me physically. I'm not being forced, I refuse to be a boy any longer. I was never the boy people assumed that I am, I'm a girl. I always was and always will be." Beth and Ben were asked about the three appointments, Ben explained, "At the request of Denise's legal adviser we made her diagnosis official. Duke and Melody Hall never got her an official examination by a certified gender specialist so it was felt that it would be best to ensure that she was truly transgender so that no false claims could be made about forcing her to dress as a girl and wold allow her to attend school as a girl. Based on her reactions to being outed and mistreated by her former network it was felt that she should speak with a psychologist about her internal struggles, with the one who was assigned having experience with transgender children in similar situations. As for the physical exam, there was no evidence of her having had any exams in the past few years so we chose to have her undergo one to note any issues that she might have had as well as begin possible hormone blockers." The report from Jessica was presented, followed by the abuse allegations which were asked about. Ben and Beth tried to say something but Denise spoke first, telling the woman, "They hit me after an awards show and a couple of times after I made a mistake during rehearsals. Mrs. Finn saw the marks but was unable to ask about them then but when I told Fiona and Jaimie about them Mrs. Finn got me help from Jessica and DCF so I wouldn't have to go back to mom and dad again." The report was read and saw the woman nodding at it. She asked about the custody agreement, Denise told her, "I wanted to be part of the new show. I am still under contract with Inferno Productions for the next two years so had to do the show or I'd get sued. Mom and dad refused to move east for the show so I asked to stay with Benny's parents. Mrs. Finn got my parents to agree to the transfer of custody so I could go to school like a normal kid. It's why I got officially diagnosed: I can be a normal girl at school now that they have it official. I don't like being tutored, I want to go to school like any normal kid." More questions were asked, this time about who was there as it was highly unusual to have anyone else at a meeting regarding the status of a child. Reed stepped forward and spoke for all of them by adding, "All of us are related or connected through family members, both directly and indirectly: Finn, Herman, Bollinger, Finn-Nelson, and Pena. Denise is in our care, and as you can see has a support network." He challenged the woman to say something, then asked exactly how each was connected to the others as if trying to trip them up but finding it hard to do so as they happily showed the links to ensure that what they were saying was taken to hear. The fact that they were interconnected on multiple levels was tough to comprehend but once it became clear that it was hard to deny things fell into place. The fact it also included multiple people who were not directly related to the Hermans but who had a role in their handling of Denise thus far only added to the seriousness of her being with the Hermans. Finally, the real reason for her being there was revealed: an allegation of abuse was lodged against the Hermans by an anonymous source. Reed moved to quiet everyone then demanded to know who made the claim and when. His request was denied, to which he told her, "Then I'm afraid I have to call in for help from the state as this is a false allegation made in malice in an attempt to remove Denise from her show. We know who made it, it can't be any clearer. You don't have to say it, but this is clearly the work of Jasper Warner. He won't get away with making false allegations and your department will have to take action against him for perjury or face my counterpart's inquest as to why you knowingly allowed a false claim to stand after it was proven beyond a shadow of doubt that it was false." He looked at the others and nodded, Kennedy read a text and told Reed, "He made it before we left. He knew we were coming and was hoping to get Denise removed from Beth and Ben's care out here since he couldn't do it in Massachusetts with Chloe and Mark knowing too much about Denise. Over here she could be put into a state home and controlled. With her removed he would have grounds to fire her with GlobalUSA's blessing. It doesn't have to be confirmed by her, her supervisor spoke directly with Jessica and Chloe last night while the state commissioner spoke with Mark to head off complaints. He had no idea where we were, yet all of a sudden she shows up here means he knew where we were." Reed nodded then explained to the social worker, "Thank you for visiting, we shall read your report after you file it. A copy is being sent to our DCF for review and will be used to prosecute Jasper Warner. He has no idea just who he is trying to harm, I don't like to get personal but I'm happy to flex some muscle when it means protecting family especially against people using proxies to fight their battles." The social worker was shown out and had it explained to her back at her office just who Reed was and why he wasn't lying about what he would do. If she had not shown due diligence in her interview then she would be summarily fired and likely sued for civil rights violations. She carefully let the fact speak for themselves and familiarized herself with the procedures before she went into the interview and saw that there was no abuse and all procedures had been followed to the letter. Her report was flattering to the point of being overly sweet, but reading the procedures showed that the Hermans had done everything possible to support and help Denise and went beyond it in seeking out the help of professionals just in case there were other issues. They had also shown that Denise was in a family that knew what to do and how to do it regarding the care and education of a girl like Denise, it was tough to not admit that the Hermans were perfect for Denise. The Halls had unknowingly done her a favor in transferring custody to Beth and Ben, their deaths might have helped her become more than a girl: they helped her become a daughter, cousin, sister, and aunt. At her office, she was put under fire by a colleague over her rubber- stamping Denise's case. It was hard to explain how she could ignore such a major claim against a family known to harbor sexual predators, which led to her asking what he knew about the family. He was caught off guard, which showed that he had no intention of actually investigating the claims nor knew who she had just met. She waited for an answer and when he tried to make up an excuse she countered, "The so-called sexual predators claim is false. Massachusetts sent a detailed background on the foster parents as well as all of the people in contact with the child. Further, multiple law enforcement officers are in close contact and have verified that the foster parents are on the up and up. What was claimed are false allegations levied years ago by people who were either discredited or were actually convicted of the crimes they alleged." That caused him to backpedal to which she countered, "The man who made the allegation is known and is being dealt with by the police. One of the people present for the interview is an extremely high level public official in Massachusetts who happens to be related to the foster parents and ensured that there is a thorough investigation. I'd look at revising your resume because you're not going to get away with it." She smirked as several deputy sheriffs entered alongside several senior LACPSS and CDSS officials. It was clear why they were there as they went right for the man she was talking to, asking for him to go to a conference room to speak about his handling of Denise's case and why he broke department protocols in not investigating claims and ignoring directives regarding allegations against the Hermans. There was a big gasp as he refused to go, claiming that he had done no wrong and knew that they were a bunch of perverts which led to his immediate supervisor demanding to know just what he knew about the Hermans as there had been nothing against them in their entire adulthood except for just a single "anonymous" complaint filed the day before. It was hard to come up with an excuse, especially as the supervisor produced reports from Massachusetts and their own previous report regarding abuse against Denise done by the Halls- not the Hermans. He had no response, only glaring at the deputies while the senior officials awaited a response from him. When he finally gave in and walked to the conference room, he sat down and demanded to know why he was being persecuted for protecting a child. Once everyone was seated, a call log was shown to him and he was asked to explain why multiple phone calls from Jasper Warner were made to him regarding a child who was cleared by the state to be housed with the Hermans. He tried to make up claims of the Hermans harming the child but with Warner not actually having seen the abuse and no contact with him by the Hermans or Denise there was no way Warner could have seen any abuse. He tried to claim that allowing her to dress as a girl was abuse, to which he was rebuked as state codes were recited word for word forcing him to admit that there was no wrongdoing and that the Hermans had done everything by the book and done more for Denise than the Halls had done. With no excuse, he was told, "You are summarily terminated and placed under arrest for filing false claims, perjury, and civil rights violations. You knowingly lied in your reports and accepted Jasper Warner's word without so much as a second thought and use your personal bias against transgender people to force your views on two people who have done nothing wrong. If they had not had proper support they would be facing prison for lies someone else crafted. Instead, you are facing jail for your criminal actions." He was led away in handcuffs with the staff hearing that no further investigation into Denise was to be allowed as her case was transferred to Massachusetts under order by the state. None of them were to go after Denise and any further action would result in their arrest for civil rights violations. The message was clear: Denise was fine and what was alleged were lies. Things weren't easy for Denise after that as she, the Hermans, Jack, and Benny had to go to a meeting at GlobalUSA to, "Discuss allegations against them." It was clear to all who was actually behind things and caused Reed, Michael, Ella, Beverly, and Kennedy to tag along. They had a right to be there as the representatives of John Finn and the shareholders of Inferno Productions, with Michael making a quick phone call to Nora and the elder Lee and Brice to get them to go along as well to round out all major shareholders of Inferno and show their full support for the show. The group waited until after lunch to leave, with the kids going to Disneyland for the day to keep them out of trouble as well as keep Jessie, Claire, and Courtney from getting too angry at what Warner was doing to Denise. The kids were more than happy to go and rushed the ladies out, with Jake, Zeke, and Willie having to do most of the wrangling while the ladies did their best to avoid forming a mob. It was easy for the guys to do, they had done it too many times before and loved being in charge for once. At the network office, the group entered en-masse and forced the executives present to explain why the network had called the meeting and why they tried to get around Valerie by demanding a meeting right then in person. There was some looks of disbelief at the group taking the initiative coupled with looks of outrage over them daring to question them. Kennedy reiterated the demands, with Nora adding that it was highly unusual as they had no reason to speak with any of the three directly. The executives tried to have everyone except Benny, Jack, and Denise removed forcing Michael to take charge and explain in a loud, authoritative voice, "That won't happen as you have no reason to speak to them as you speak directly to Inferno Productions alone. Each and every one of the people here are part of Inferno as each holds a stake in the company. You won't dare remove me, I'm here on behalf of both my father, my sister, and my brother and thus am the majority shareholder proxy. My sister Ella here is the next-higher shareholder and represents her own interests. The remaining shares are held by the rest of us and thus we are here on our own behalf. I'd advise you not to try to remove me as both myself and my father own large amounts of stocks in GBS and it would be a major blow to your employment if the corporation was informed that major shareholders were treated like they were nothing after confronting you about violations of your contract with Inferno." Michael smirked and announced, "Valerie Finn, my mother, and John Finn, my father, demand to know why you have called this meeting in lieu of speaking directly with them regarding the production of the newest Inferno Productions show. There is no reason to be in contact as the show is being written and is not anywhere near close to needing your approval for airing. So why have you chosen to demand that the stars and senior producers of the show appear before you without counsel on short notice?" The gauntlet was tossed down and Michael had called their bluff. Whatever was said would either go in their favor or go against the network. He wasn't bluffing, they had no reason to speak to anyone yet. One finally mustered the courage and stated, "Dennis Hall needs to be removed from the show as he has caused issues that we can't overlook. An investigation into sexual abuse against a child is something we can't ignore, especially when he is the one to have done it. We can't have that on our network, he might have forced his way onto the show through fooling Inferno's lawyer but we won't accept his actions." Reed stepped forward and demanded to know how they could possibly know about an alleged incident as it was just investigated by the state and nobody would be allowed to know about it until it concluded due to confidentiality laws and legal issues. The man growled, "We were told by the investigator that he had sexually abused a child at the Herman home. He was seen molesting a girl in a restaurant before he fled from the media. We have it all on video." Reed looked over at Kennedy who made a phone call to someone then told the executives, "This meeting is postponed for a few minutes. Do not leave this room, you will have to explain to deputies why there is video of a molestation that was alleged to occur never reported to them as they were told something entirely different just this afternoon by the same social worker who told you about the alleged abuse. If you leave a warrant will be issued for your arrest for child pornography and child abuse, whomever it is on that video is nobody Dennis Hall AKA Denise Hall has ever been in contact with." Michael, Jack, and Benny prevented them from leaving while Brice led deputies inside the conference room. Reed replayed what was claimed and saw the deputies dismissing the group and thanking them for helping the investigation. Reed didn't need to explain to the others what they meant, they could infer that there was a big investigation underway that Warner had just got himself involved in. The group waited a half hour and saw the deputies removing several computers as well as stating to the executives that subpoenas were being issued for all communications between the social worker and the executives with Warner having to explain a lot more now than he did before. Once they left, Reed and the group reentered the conference room with Michael explaining to the executives, "Jasper Warner is to be removed from all contact with Inferno Productions. You are to explain to corporate why you tried to destroy a new show based entirely on the word of a junior executive who has been detrimental to your network for eight years and who has not had a successful show to his name. If he is not terminated he's to be reassigned to your sister network or we'll see to it that you are all replaced." Reed added, "This better not happen again. You need Inferno's movies and shows more than we need you and we are more than happy to take a lower profit in exchange for full control over our shows. Be glad it was us here instead of the Finns, John Finn does not fool around when someone tries to hurt someone in his care- especially not a child. Denise Hall is not being removed, she is credited as a writer, adviser, and actress and after she officially becomes Denise Herman- a producer. She isn't leaving the show no matter how much Jasper Warner may play golf with all of you. Consider this your only warning, try it again and all of you will be terminated, blackballed, and stuck begging for us not to sue you. Try this in Massachusetts and I'll have you in federal court on civil rights violations while suing your corporation for multiple legal violations that were overlooked by my predecessor thanks to your hiring him as one of your 'legal experts' for your news network. Corporate will pay for your mistakes and will take it out on you- only they won't be as nice to you as I'll be. That's before John Finn buys out your mortgages on your mansions and condos and sells them for a fraction of the cost just to leave you homeless. He did it to his own blood before, he'd gladly do it to all of you without a second thought." Reed walked out, followed by the rest while Kennedy stayed behind and read a statement from John. It was to the point: "Do what Reed said or I personally ensure that each of you is homeless, penniless, and unable to find a job in a fastfood restaurant let alone running a network. You chose to go after a child on the word of a total fraud. He rode your coattails for too long, he's gone or you're all gone." John Finn had emailed the message to the corporate board of directors forcing the executives to cringe as they would have a phone call awaiting shortly. As soon as Kennedy left the phone rang and saw all of them begging the board of directors not to fire them. They had one condition: fire Jasper Warner or all would be terminated and the new network executives would fire Jasper. Jasper was called. He swore that what he told them was the truth but the president of the network told him bluntly, "Cool your jets for a while. You are terminated but you are getting hired as showrunner for the new animated show. You don't have to do a thing, when the Herman and Bollinger show flops you'll be back. Finn can't fool corporate for long, her husband is all hot air and won't follow through on his threats. He has no spine, otherwise he'd be here himself." Unbeknownst to them, John was actually in Los Angeles meeting with corporate executives about the whole network situation and the "spineless" John Finn was screaming about what GlobalUSA had done to Denise. He was blunt: clean house or he'd clean house. John had enough shares to force a vote of no confidence in the board, especially after costing the corporation millions in failed shows to be exposed. John's threats were enough to cause GBS to clamp down on the network, forcing changes at the top while ensuring that Jasper Warner was all but gone. He was still around on paper, but he had no power and nobody to listen to him. His contract was not renewed and would have nothing to show for his entire run with GlobalUSA except a string of failed sitcoms and being blackballed by John. The news that Jasper Warner was removed as showrunner of Benny and Jack's new show was a surprise to all in Hollywood, but a statement from Inferno Productions made it clear irreconcilable differences were the main factor in the removal and Jasper was hurting the show's production. For Inferno to state that he was hurting the show was a shock as Inferno never said anything bad about anyone, yet Jasper had been pointed to as the reason for his departing. Jasper's issues were looked into and the fact that he had no actual successes with the network yet scored a major coup in getting the show was asked about and rumors of his being close to executives touting his successes explained why he was kept around. Jasper's day was only just starting as John went right to a courthouse to meet with lawyers from Kaplan and Kaplan, a longtime ally to the Finns and John's go-to firm for issues in California. The Kaplans had everything ready to go and acting on behalf of Denise and Inferno Productions they were able to get a restraining order against Jasper Warner to prevent him from going after Denise any more. This was in addition to Valerie doing the same out in Massachusetts, with both judges understanding just why they had been asked to act in a highly unusual manner but agreeing to protect the vulnerable Denise. Jasper was issued his orders that afternoon while he was meeting with GlobalUSA executives, with the executives demanding that the order be removed but only seeing the deputies hand them the state's own response: a summons to appear in court in regards to what was found on their computers. Jasper was left with no support after that, he'd have to lay low and out of the line of fire or he'd lose everything. It was toxic to continue to go after Denise then, he'd have to bide his time until he could act. The family went back to Flora and Ella's mansion for dinner, with the kids swimming under Denise's watchful eye. Ella and Flora's daughter was rambunctious and happily got Denise to play with her, a big sign to her mothers that Denise was family as she never acted that way toward newcomers. Denise was happy to get the little girl's attention, with Royce and Brice jealous while Lee and Gabrielle kept them from getting into trouble by insulting Denise. The evening was capped off by Billy and Junior coming by with chocolate cakes, which Denise was happy that they had gotten for her. The kids were jealous but seeing the chocolate sent them rushing to their big uncles demanding pieces of the cakes. Brice and Royce reluctantly behaved long enough to get their piece then ran off, thanking Denise for getting them their favorite desserts. The kids insisted on Denise putting them to bed, with Gabrielle cuddling close to her before she fell off to sleep. She caused a tear to fall as she called Denise, "Auntie" as she lost her battle with slumber, she'd tried hard to time it right and barely said it before she was asleep in Denise's arms. It was something the teen needed, understanding from a little girl who was used to issues around family members. The boys were better that night than they had been in a while, with Denise seeing that they were upset at not getting their way more than at her. Lee was the leader of them, with the two preschoolers always following his lead except when it came to wanting to play something, "Too girly." Denise understood the feeling that they had, they were set in their ways and most boys without sisters weren't interested in the same stuff as girls and even then they would only play if there was nothing else to do. Flora and Ella's daughter was quiet until Gabrielle went to bed then insisted on Denise keeping all of her attention on the little girl. Ella and Flora insisted that Denise give her the attention she craved as it was quieter and easier on the adults, plus she could use the practice of dealing with upset toddlers. She tried her hardest, and after a short bit of attention the little girl fell asleep letting Denise relax as well. Denise didn't see what the big fuss was about, to which Beth explained to her, "She doesn't like people, it's a big step for her to demand to be with you if you have only just met her. She likes you, it's hard to not be happy for you as you did something major for her: won her over without trying. She has kept an eye on you ever since you came here and has demanded you play with her, she won't do that for either of her uncles or her aunts, yet she wanted you to play with her until she fell asleep. Poor Logan can't be any more upsetting to her, he's sadly taking after John in another way- one that's hilarious to everyone." The others laughed at the joke with Ben shaking his head and telling Denise, "You already heard Skylar tell you about his bad luck with the babies of his family, well Logan has the same problem. He's fine in small doses but something about him seems to cause Austin and his cousins to cry whenever they get in the same room as Logan. It's a recent thing, his older nieces and nephews weren't like that. All of them were simply apathetic to him, they loved tormenting John for a while until they grew out of it." Denise started to see things differently now, she liked having that affect on kids especially ones known to not trust or accept others. It was nice having family, especially ones as complex as the whole group with her. Being adopted into the Herman family was a blessing in her eyes, one that came out of a sad experience but was set in motion through no fault of her own. The next morning was a slow, agonizing time for Denise as she ate breakfast then endured having to be dressed in "mourning clothes" as she called her black dress and pantyhose. She hated it, she hated dark colors as they didn't look good on her tanned skin nor her dirty blonde hair. She would have rather wear her normal clothes, but it wasn't right to go to a funeral in bright colored shorts and a t-shirt or a floral sundress as she would have chosen for the day. The drive to the cemetery was long, with Denise trying hard to remember good times that she had with her parents but finding no real good memories of the three of them. All of her memories since she was six were of Denise going to auditions, getting disappointed by losing parts, going to commercial shoots, then finally going to her audition for "Tickle Your Funny Bone." She was only happy to be a girl, all of the memories were of her insisting that she was a girl and convincing casting directors that she wasn't just some boy crossdressing for roles or using being transgender as a hook for getting the role. Her only good memories were of the cast of "Tickle Your Funny Bone", particularly Benny and Jack as the two fought to get their way and fought to keep her as part of the cast. They always cheered her up when she was down and always knew how to make her smile even when her parents were fighting for a raise for her behind her back. She loved the two, they were big brothers to her. Donald would often keep her company whenever he was on set and was the buffer that she needed to be left alone by everyone except Benny and Jack. Donald made her feel loved, doing things for her that made her feel feminine and buying her gifts for her birthday and Christmas that she had wanted but had not told anyone about. He knew what she wanted, with Benny happily telling her that Donald was their big brother even though he wasn't trying to be a big brother. Then there was Walter, the teenager who gave her a lot of grief over being so girly but always got her to focus on making her characters funny and smart. He'd be on set during school vacations enjoying the Hollywood experience without fear of upsetting the cast and crew. He was a lot like Jack, only he had a more grounded personality that made Denise feel like she was "one of them" even for brief periods. Walter got to enjoy cameos on the show that few were allowed, including acting in multiple skits while on set and serving as the butt of several jokes before turning things around on Jack. Denise and he had a few memorable skits, always done during the summer months when he had a lot of time, and became some of her most beloved skits of the entire run of the show. And to make things better for Denise, he'd be one of the few who ignored her parents and put them in their place whenever they tried to bully the cast earning him respect and admiration from the cast and the ire of the Halls. Walter was always talking about his beloved Jasmine and Louis like they were the only people in the world. She was surprised that it took him until that trip to realize that Jasmine loved him or that Louis was his best friend but he was always dense when it came to family and friends. Denise was one of the few who "got" him and was one of the only people who could get him to speak his mind, something he secretly loved and hoped she'd never use against him when she got angry. The more Denise remembered her life in Los Angeles and as an actress and comedian before moving to Massachusetts, the less she liked of it. She had nothing but grief, apathy, and anger towards her parents while frustration, disappointment and constant fear of discovery took up the rest of her memories. The best thing to happen to her was getting away from it all and trying to live a normal life with the Herman family among people who actually cared about her and treated her like family for five years. The group finally arrived at the private cemetery and were met by John and Valerie. Denise didn't know how to react to seeing them, with Valerie hugging her tight and telling her that it was alright to cry as it was a sad day for her. Denise shook her head and boldly told Valerie, "No. No tears for them. I accepted that they are dead already. I don't want to cry over their getting themselves killed. They chose to do all of it and it's their fault that it caused them to die. I'll miss them, but I have new parents now." She was unknowingly crying as she said that, causing her to hug Valerie tighter as the grief finally let loose with all of her pent-up anger and frustration. After several minutes, Denise finally calmed enough to enter the chapel and endure the standard funeral session. The toughest part was the internment, with Denise crying as Duke and Melody's ashes were placed in a special vault in a wall alongside hundreds of others who had been cremated like the Halls had been. Denise silently said a prayer for her parents. It was surprising to the others, but Denise had learned the prayer while filming a commercial thanks to one of her costars being deeply religious. She had no real use for religion but it felt right to offer a prayer in the hopes that Duke and Melody weren't treated too harshly where they were being sent and that they received their just desserts in the afterlife. The service ended and saw the group being immediately harassed by awaiting media. Valerie looked to the cemetery's caretaker who immediately phoned the gravedigger and fired him. Valerie added a terse, "Consider your property sued as you violated the confidentiality agreement. This wasn't his leak, it was directly from you with him being the scapegoat. We'll be glad to assist him legally when he sues you." The media tried to mob Denise but seeing John, Valerie, William, Benny, and Jack there caused them to go for the "easier" soundbytes as they were asked what they were doing at the funeral. The scrum to get their statements led to the kids complaining about the mean people pushing them out of the way, which led to the deputies observing the funeral to intercede and remove the reporters. They were breaking the law in disrupting a funeral, one that involved a child no less, and stepped over the line into harassment. The reporters made a huge mistake as a reporter trying to force his way close to Francesca knocked the close by Brice and Royce to the ground causing one to skin his hand and the other to twist his ankle leading to both wailing at being hurt. Donald had to be held back by his father while Junior and Billy grabbed the offending man and dragged him out followed by the deputies forcing the others to leave. The one in the duo's hands was placed in handcuffs for battery on a minor for harming the boys and led away, with his footage seized as evidence in his prosecution as he could be seen pushing the boys aside in trying to get close to Francesca. Hollywood was abuzz at what happened, with Denise's face being shown throughout as she witnessed the horrific incident. Francesca was bashed for having her sons there while Donald was bashed for not protecting his sons. The truth didn't matter, the story to gossip "reporters" and TV hosts was that famed star Francesca Herman's sons were hurt due to her negligence. Questions about Denise's custody started to circulate followed by claims that she was there alone with nobody to care for her being made. LACPSS had to issue a statement that the reports of her being there alone were false and that they were well-aware of her situation and it was being handled by the books and she was doing well in the care of people that were known to the department. They refused to state who she was with, with them citing confidentiality and minority rights as the reasons. Francesca had to cool off while the boys were looked at by a doctor, while Valerie talked with friends at a law firm about a lawsuit against the reporters for their roles in the incident. Denise was afraid that she would be taken away from the Hermans leading the boys to calm her while she helped them endure the examinations. The three were having a positive impact on one another leading to Francesca telling the two that Denise was more than just their uncle's friend: she was their new aunt and family to them. The two started to see Denise differently, she wasn't like their aunts Lucy, Jessie, Courtney, or even the lovable Amy. Being the only one among their aunts who had grown up playing "boy things" she had knowledge about what the two wanted to do and how to do it that their other aunts didn't have. She didn't mind that it was part of her past being rehashed, as long as she was accepted as their aunt she was happy to relive it. Denise was with Donald and Francesca to keep her out of sight, as the doctor's office was in a discrete building and used by many Hollywood celebrities for their plastic surgery procedures that weren't too visible- like mole removals, tattoo alterations, and hair removal. The doctor who examined the boys was known to the family as she was none other than Brice Walsh's sister, with the family having a long string of run-ins with her over the years through Anita Dupree undergoing surgery by her and being one of Jaimie Samuels' mentors while Jaimie did a surgical rotation while doing her medical residency. She was one of the best surgeons in Los Angeles but would have days that she'd serve as a go-to doctor for a small emergency that didn't require hospitalization or major treatments. Dr. Walsh examined the boys and got an x-ray of Royce's ankle and disinfected Brice's hands. It was a quick examination for the two boys, with Dr. Walsh not being happy that the boys were hurt in the first place by such stupid behavior but glad that it wasn't serious- just a twisted ankle and scuffed palms that some minor pain medicine would help. She called the deputies who witnessed the incident and covered Francesca in case of any issues and gave her expert medical opinion of the incident, it was clear that it wasn't abuse and could only have come from being pushed to the ground carelessly by the reporter. The group drove to the Finn-Nelson mansion and prepared to leave the next day as it was expected to be tough on Denise. Denise played with all of the kids with each getting their needed attention from her while their parents let her work off her nervous energy. She needed it badly, especially as Gabrielle hugged and kissed her without prompting causing Denise to thank her for caring about her even if she didn't have to show it. Denise slept through the night and into the morning, finally awakening to shower and eat then dress for the trip east. Breakfast was light, Denise had little appetite and only ate at the urging of the kids. They knew their role in helping Denise, with them smiling at their parents for being so mature. She'd been mentally preparing all morning for leaving, with her finally accepting that her old life ended the day before and her new life had just started. She smiled at that, stealing glances at Beth and Ben as she realized that they were no longer strangers- they were mom and dad. Even if it months away from being official, in her eyes she was now Denise Herman, daughter of Beth and Ben Herman.