Togetherness Part 3 free porn video

The foursome eventually went to bed, with the puppies joining the respective counterparts in bed and in a deep sleep once their humans were asleep themselves. Lee and Gabriela slept soundly too, with Reed and Jessie happy that their kids were acting like siblings more and more as time wore on. They would have fights eventually, but at least they had a good start before then. Ryan was actually the last to go to sleep. He kept to himself during the puppies' introductions and tried to stay away from them as much as possible as he didn't want the puppies to take offense to him or be too close since he wasn't staying long. It was cute seeing the girls playing, they looked so happy. He didn't notice the puppies entering overnight and falling asleep alongside him. When the kids awoke and searched for them they stopped short and had to fight giggles as he had Joy's puppy sleeping on his chest and Jace's sleeping between his legs all but pinning him in place. They backed away slowly, they didn't want to disturb them or upset Ryan by saying something or startle the puppies. Reed sought them out then had them go down to breakfast, with Jessie taking a quick photo to send off to Sheila and Ian. It was perfect, evidence that Ryan was finally on the med. The puppies knew that he needed affection and gave it to him without him knowing it. Jessie finally got the puppies to move, receiving licks and tail wags then getting them to seek out Jace and Joy downstairs. Ryan started to stir and was concerned, but Jessie soothed him and told him that he was simply being relieved of his guests. He had no idea what she meant, she happily told him, "Yip and yap were with you most of the night and only just left. You were pinned, you better do your business as it's breakfast time and Wayne should be here soon to talk to you." He blushed then ran to the bathroom for relief, with Jessie walking downstairs to catch the kids putting the puppies' food out while the puppies tried to get attention from Lee and Gabriela. It felt amazing to her, like their family was fulfilled. She didn't have the heart to tell Reed that she didn't want to endure another pregnancy, Jace and Joy fulfilled the need to mother again without changing more diapers. Reed caught her look and hugged her, letting her know that he understood her feeling. He was fine with her not wanting to get pregnant again as it took a lot out of her and cost her time at work- time that she didn't want to lose anymore. Pregnant physical therapists weren't the greatest help for injured people. Jessie got dressed for work then kissed the foursome goodbye then hugged Ryan. He blushed, with the girls giggling over him trying not to show that he liked being mothered. Ryan blushed deeper, with the girls hugging him to calm him then kissing his cheeks before giggling at the boys trying to not speak. The kids went to get dressed, with Wayne Davis arriving not long after to talk with Ryan. Ryan felt like he was going to be humiliated but Wayne didn't look like the kind of person who was a crossdresser. He was a tall, slim, but fit man in his late 40s/early 50s who made Ryan think that it was a joke. Wayne looked Ryan over and asked Reed if it was a one-time thing or had he done it before. Reed gave a stiff, "He did it a lot and confessed that he was fighting his urges to dress. He was the catalyst for all of the crap going on in Byfield and Endicott that you've probably heard about through the grapevine. He's fighting masculinity being questioned by boys and men who are overgrown children leading him to go after his sister and anyone who dares to try to get in touch with their softer side. Johnny is ready to help but it sounded like he needs someone who has decades of experience dressing even if most was done in a professional capacity and wasn't actually true crossdressing." Wayne asked to speak to Ryan alone, which led Reed to lead the foursome out while the puppies stayed behind to protect Ryan. Wayne smiled at the puppies, they were vicious when they were upset and did a lot more harm than you'd think so he respected their wishes and let them protect their guest. Ryan had a reason for being afraid, even if Wayne had no intent to harm Ryan in any way. Wayne asked when he started dressing as a girl. Ryan looked ashamed but explained, "When I was three. Megan would ask me to be a girl for her since our brother and sister were in school. We loved being a girl, it felt great doing it and mom let us do it without saying anything. Megan never dressed as a boy, I didn't know that she had come out and thought that it was normal. I liked dressing with her but never in the company of anyone but family. It was fun, I could be someone else and not have to look up to dad." He shed a tear at admitting that. Wayne asked what he felt about his father, Ryan shed another tear then admitted, "He's big and strong and intimidating. Everyone is afraid of him because he doesn't let any of the townsfolk push him around or manipulate him. I'm not dad. I'm never going to be as big as him or as strong or as smart. I'm just like mom: I'm small, dainty, pretty. I'm more like a girl than a big man. I can't be like dad, dad wasn't as small as me nor did he have people telling him what to do." Wayne saw the heart of the issue then asked if he was aware of puberty and changes that were coming to him. Ryan blurted out, "I'm going to get bigger. I'm going to get hair. I'm going to make sperm. I'm going to like girls. I'm going to look like an idiot around everyone." Wayne shook his head the laughed. He looked directly in Ryan's eyes and told him, "Puberty is different for a lot of people. You are the same size as your father and even your uncle Kyle. I have seen what the two looked like when they were your age and you aren't much different than them. You are the same as them, you are going to be big. You might not be 6'8" but you'll be taller than most men and much more stronger than them. As for smarts? You haven't had the chance to shine yet. You are only 13, you'll get the chance to show how intelligent and clever you are when you actually start working towards what it is that you want to do with your life after high school. You come from two highly intelligent parents, it's going to be hard not to be smart and clever when you already show it through trying to survive." Wayne showed him pictures that he had been given by Ian and his cousin Kyle's father. Ryan looked at them and asked who the kids were. Wayne shook his head and happily told him, "These small kids? The one with the short hair is Kyle. The one with the longer hair your father. These were taken when they were 13. Kyle didn't get larger until he was 13 and a half, Ian until he was 14. Both started growing and did not stop until they were 6'8" and 6'7", respectively. Ian is bigger in body, but only because his father was a lot larger than Kyle's father. Kyle's father isn't his birth father, so the man with him isn't a measure of his paternal bloodline. They are linked through Ian's father and Kyle's mother." Ryan didn't believe him, so Wayne explained to him, "My son is like me yet isn't fully like me. He was adopted by me after his parents died. I'm his uncle by birth but have been his father since we were reunited 13 years ago. He has a strong sense of what he needs to do and where things need to go. I'm as scatterbrained as they come at times. He's head of logistics for Peterson Manufacturing while I'm just the head of Davis Productions. I put on shows for clubs throughout the region and hire people for many TV shows and movies filmed in and around the Boston area. We're two different people yet deep inside we have a similar knack for knowing how to get things done, albeit in different ways. Just like I know that your father is strong when it comes to finding the truth in situations while you are strong at finding how to get out of trouble and make things work right. Add in your mother's thirst for knowledge and it is clear to everyone that you could do anything that you set your mind to." Wayne turned things toward Ryan's dressing again, asking if he ever got pleasure from dressing. Ryan had a look of shock then blurted out, "I only did it to fee like a girl! I like feeling feminine and being the center of attention instead of someone to be pitied. People treated me like I was a good kid instead of a kid to avoid. Girls were happy to know that I knew things about clothes that others didn't, especially as I said how pretty their skirts were and how nice their blouses made their eyes look. I didn't get a thrill out of it, I didn't react to wearing the clothes. I liked wearing them, they felt nice on my skin and didn't do anything to my penis. I didn't ever get hard, it stayed put as I was so afraid of people seeing it." Wayne nodded then told him, "That's the difference between a crossdresser and a transvestite. You didn't get a thrill from wearing the clothes, it was all about comfort and understanding. I am happy to know it was for all of the right reasons that you dressed: first to make Megan happy then to be part of a group then finally because you liked feeling that way. I suspect that it's a lot deeper than just wanting to be a part of the group, I think it was an escape from a tough situation. What I gather from what you mention about the boys, they were the catalyst for some of the dressing. Once it was clear that you actually had fun doing it and it wasn't making you into a pervert they changed direction to go after you to make you think that it was wrong. They used your feelings of insecurity against you, manipulating you. They're a big issue, one that will end up hurting them as I think they targeted the wrong boy for bullying." Smiling, he told Ryan, "You are a crossdresser. They tried to make you think that you were a transvestite but that's total garbage. There is a huge difference that people ignore: the sexual thrill. Transvestism is OK in and of itself, but it isn't the same as crossdressing. You dress as a girl and enjoy being a girl, the transvestites get a sexual thrill that they can't get from just being with a girl. You did this for years, it's a simple act with you- thus, true crossdressing. You become a girl, you aren't a boy in girl's clothing." Shaking his head, Wayne finally told him, "I'm a crossdresser who was also a drag performer. It's why I was estranged from my family, they thought that I was transgender. If not for the help of many of your aunts and uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles I would never have gotten custody of my future son and daughter. Now I'm a proud father and grandfather. My son is even married to a woman who is like your sister. She herself had a lot of issues like you had, only she was different: she was truly transgender. I can see that you are just a simple crossdresser who wants to be loved by friends and family. And you're going to be loved by them, just give them a chance to do so." Ryan fought tears, Wayne gave him a hug then left to allow Reed to tell Ryan, "Your mother is coming to register you for school. You know the principal and math teacher, as well as your gym teacher. You'll be with the boys, Wendy, and Gabriela in their class, so expect a lot of help and support. Henry isn't the meek boy that everyone thinks that he is and Carl is quick to fight to protect Wendy. Jace and she are a lot closer than they realize so expect him to defend her every chance he gets as they figure out how the two feel about one another. Don't seek out fights, but defend yourself it you have to." Sheila arrived and had with her copies of Ryan's school records. She took a look at Ryan and gave him a big smile, then hugged him. She knew that he needed one, especially after Wayne's talk. She calmly told him, "Your school wasn't happy to lose you. They tried to fight the transfer, claiming it wasn't legal as you still reside in Endicott. Thankfully Aunt Alice was with me and showed that they'd violated your rights as you were moving and as you would no longer be a resident of Endicott you had no right to be a student. When they told her that she had no idea what she was talking about, she gave a big laugh and told them 'I know the rules inside and out considering I'm the superintendent.' She had them threatening to have her fired, but Aunt Valerie happily told them to try- they were in the wrong." Ryan looked away in shame, Sheila explained further, "All of your records are being examined to see if they contain offensive remarks. Your teachers are suspected of purposely lowering your grades so that you remained where you were with certain kids instead of moving to the advanced classes as we tried to have done. She saw several remarks about budgetary issues and ways of keeping certain kids in their place instead of putting them where they belong. Aunt Valerie told your father who informed Miles and David who contacted the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education who were keen to help a student who was being abused as you were. The department had several other complaints, all of which were mysteriously uninvestigated leading to Miles and David linking the cases. You're a hero among the State Police, you helped hundreds of kids by removing people who are hurting them." She led him out for the drive to the school. Jace joined him, with Sheila sensing that he wanted them to be alright and help them if there was trouble. He didn't have to do it, but it showed Ryan was starting to have an impact on Jace even if neither would admit to starting to grow closer to being friends. The principals were happy to register Ryan, with Jace blushing as they gave him an odd look over his presence. Sheila gave them a quick, "Later" to get them to move off of it, but it was clear that they're a lot closer now. They weren't friends, but Jace felt the need to be close to Ryan. The high school was their next stop, with Jake Bollinger hugging Sheila and happily telling her, "She's all set. You know how the girls are, they'll baby her until she's ready to go it alone. She'll have the big four with her in all classes, you know how Anne and Liv will reaction to her. Elise will help her along at her own pace while Brooklyn will protect her. The boys know to not mess with Brooklyn, so Megan won't experience too much blowback from them if she admits to liking girls." Ryan tried not to get any notice while Jace kept quiet. Jake looked Jace over and shook his head at the boy, telling him firmly, "We aren't upset at you being placed with Reed and Jessie. We are happy that it happened and are glad that Gabriela and Lee are starting to grow up a little more now that they have the big brother and big sister that they lacked. Their cousins love them, but it's tough to not be close to the kids. They haven't shown it to you yet, but they do look up to the two of you. I wish that my gaggle of grandkids would be like you four but they inherited my goofiness and Beverly's stubbornness." Sheila gave him a laugh then told Jace, "It's his daughter-in-law's Williams blood that upsets him most. I swear Lilly goes out of her way to make things difficult for her parents and grandparents. Thankfully Simon and Roland take after their father's side of the family but have their moments of acting like you. Simon, bless his heart, fell for Emily Daniels so is stuck being under her father's angry glare. Mario is her younger brother so you'll see what I mean when the two finally meet and he falls for her officially." Jace blushed at hearing that, Jake then added, "Wendy is already trying to get Mario to date Joy so they can double-date with you and your sister. It's going to be tough to keep Eli and the girls from pushing you together, you do make a cute couple and Wendy is infatuated with you. You're the first boy that she met who made her feel that way and more importantly- you treated her like a young lady." He had to leave as he was growing redder and redder. Ryan looked upset at Jace finding a girlfriend in such a short period of time while he couldn't find one among any girls. Sheila gave him a subtle hug to show that it was alright, knowing that he was jealous and feeling bad about his mistreatment. Back at the Pena home, the girls played with the puppies until the doorbell rang. Reed answered it and told men at the door to leave or else they'd have to explain to Patricia Parker why they were trying to arrest a 13-year-old who had committed no crime, who was cleared multiple times over of all accused crimes, and who had already spoken to troopers actually investigating the cased that they claimed to be investigating. He called their bluff, they had to show cause or they'd be arrested themselves. Reed listened as they claimed that Jace had molested a girl in school the previous Spring and that it had been caught on video. Reed asked why they had purposely withheld that claim from other troopers who were investigating, leading to them claim that it was a separate, new investigation that nobody else but the two were involved in. That was what Reed needed, they were lying through their teeth. He casually asked Miles and David, "Did you catch all of that? Attempted kidnapping, lying to police, a huge civil rights violation, criminal conspiracy, filing false police reports- here's your missing link to a huge number of uninvestigated cases. It's nice when they get cocky and show themselves in the open." The troopers claimed that he couldn't do that, Reed growled, "The hell I can't. I know exactly who are the ones investigating the cases and you are neither detectives nor are you seconded to my office. You are here for one reason only: to take out Ezekiel Williams. It won't work, he's under my protection now and I know the laws of this state better than you ever will. Lt. Peterson, Sgt. Finn- take out this trash." The troopers tried to fight, they didn't know that backup was right outside as Willie Pena walked over and told the troopers to stop resisting or he would use his pepper spray. When they tried to go after him he opened up and sprayed both head-on, with Willie shaking his head over their stupidity. He walked to his wife, picked up his police radio, then called for an ambulance for the two troopers. The girls giggled then Gabriela asked her father, "Did they not know Grandpa was going to want to see what was going on?" Reed shook his head while Miles casually told the troopers, "Any idiot would have noticed that you're in the heart of our family's neighborhood and that the chief of police lived close by- the father of the kid you tried to kidnap. Save the theatrics, neither of you are assigned to any cases. You tried to kidnap him from the one place no criminal in their right mind would dare visit. And did so in front of the one man who'd tear the state apart trying to find that same kid. His family no less!" They growled that Reed wasn't family. David added, "He wasn't talking about Reed or Willie Pena. You idiots tried to kidnap the kid in front of John Finn- cousin to Willie and a Williams family member in his own right. You did it in his neighborhood, in front of him, with him already on the phone with the Deputy Attorney General as well as the Governor. You did so as members of the State Police no less, on a case that he's intimately aware of and a case in which he himself is personally involved as character witness. You just ensured that anything you have done in the past five years is scrutinized by us." The girls giggled with Gabriela telling Joy, "It's not a joke, criminals avoid our neighborhood. Daddy said that it's because they know who lives here, Grandpa said Gruncle John is like a mobster in that you have to be insane to steal from one. Grandma said it's because Granty Valerie is so scary. Everyone said that she's the best lawyer, especially for when you need someone who isn't afraid of lawyers." Willie blushed, Joy hugged him to show that she was grateful for his help. Willie hugged her back and kissed her forehead, then told her, "We're happy to have you as our granddaughter. We hoped that your mom and dad would have another baby but that ended four years ago. Jessie just can't do it again and it is such a drain on her health and psyche to raise a young child. You're the eldest now, we're happy to be your grandparents and want you to enjoy having two sets of grandparents who love you." Willie was alone, which caused Reed to ask where his mother went. Willie smirked and shot back, "Did you really think that she wouldn't have a backup plan? She's over in Boston talking with Patricia about a court order barring the troopers from harassing Jace anymore. She's also seeking one against multiple departments around Endicott, with Byfield's chief being forced out due to corruption allegations Jace is directly responsible for bringing to light. Newbury, Topsfield, Beverly, Salem, Middleton, Hamilton, Wenham, and Newburyport are backing away while Lynn and Peabody are helping assist David with a few extra bodies for search warrants as the smaller departments 'can't spare the manpower'. You see an obvious connection to those departments right away, the Lynn and Peabody guys refuse to play games." Reed chuckled over hearing that, Kennedy Pena was a vicious person when she protects her family, to go after one of her grandchildren was even deadlier- she loved them, even if none of them were blood to her. Being transgender and not saving semen, she couldn't give Willie an heir but gave him a wife. Reed saw the look on his father's face and shook his head. He boldly told his father, "They made a mark on Lee and Gabriela already. I love the kids, but seeing them try to emulate Jace and Joy is doing more for them than anything their cousins could do. They want to be like their older brother and sister, they are trying to behave better and do whatever the two ask of them. They even started doing more chores." Reed spotted Wendy across the street and saw a look of sadness in her. Willie caught it and gave Reed a sly grin, to which Reed understood just why she was sad: Jace wasn't there. She wanted to spend time in the presence of her newest family member, who just happened to have won her heart. Wendy sought out Gabriela to ask about Jace. Gabriela giggled while Joy told her, "Jace went to sign-up Ryan for school. Ryan's mom took them, he's moving here soon. Megan's going to join him so you're going to have another girl like you around!" Wendy asked Reed if it was true, then shed a tear over hearing the good news. She asked about Ryan, it was tough to believe that he was going to be around them after what he said about girls like her. Reed saw the concern and explained, "Ryan's reasons have been found out and he's starting to change. He did what he did because of what others were doing to him. He did it for the same reasons your father did it to your aunt Jaimie when he was your age. He's not that boy, he never was. He was trying to act like he was one of the other boys, but they weren't what they tried to appear as. He's going to be different, he might even be a girl for you if you want him to be- he actually likes it and wants to do it." Wendy hugged him then hugged Joy. Gabriela added, "He makes a cute girl. It's too bad Hilary is cuter, I would have wanted to date Ryan if Hilary wasn't such a great girl. Callie came out too, but Carl got in trouble before that because he provoked Ryan. Hilary kissed Ryan too- Ryan was unsure if he was bi or if he was a girl or if he only liked girls. He's at most a crossdresser like Grunkle Wayne, he's cute and if you weren't so gaga over Jace he'd be a good boyfriend for you." Wendy blushed, Joy complained that everyone was getting kisses and boyfriends but her. Wendy had a big smile and pointed down the street to where Eli was walking with a Latino boy and unaware of their surroundings. Joy gasped and blushed, he was handsome while Wendy added, "He's Eli's buddy and if he is going home with Gruncle John then you're going to see him often." Joy couldn't take her eyes off of Mario. Mario finally realized where he was and stopped dead when he saw Joy. His mouth dropped, Eli gave him a big smirk while Wendy happily told Mario, "Meet Joy, she is Uncle Reed's new daughter. She's the girl Liv was talking about." Mario was fighting for words while Joy blushed deeply before giving Mario a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Mario didn't move, Joy asked him if he was alright which caused him to fight for words. Eli led Mario away before he embarrassed himself even more, with Joy blushing deeply before telling a grinning Wendy, "He's hot! Wow, he's hotter than I thought! I can't believe he doesn't have a girl." Wendy countered, "Jace is hotter. Mario is too afraid of his shadow to land a good girlfriend. He's not a talker and he fumbles when he gets nervous, the girls constantly tease him about that." Gabriela added, "Eli has to do all of the talking, he's the strong silent type while Eli is the talker. Girls just don't get Mario, they think he's just a walking dick." Reed cleared his throat causing Gabriela to blush and run off in embarrassment over her vulgar words. It only got worse as her grandmother appeared and asked her where she had heard that claim, with the teen blushing and explaining, "The girls in school said that last year. He's got a big dick but he's just the dumb guy everyone avoids because he doesn't talk much. Eli does all of his talking, if Eli didn't try to date them they said everyone would think that Eli and Mario were lovers." Kennedy shook her head in disbelief, then told her granddaughter, "I swear kids go out of their way to be jerks to one another. Thank goodness they have Ryder and Quinn otherwise the two would never get anything done in school and probably would flunk out in shame. The joke is on the kids who said all of that about Mario and Eli, your great- uncles and aunts aren't going to let them get away with it in high school. Everyone has a clean slate, but that doesn't mean that they can do as they please anymore." Wendy asked if she was going to be alright with her teachers and the kids in school. Kennedy gave her a terse, "You'll have people trying to go after you just because they can, but you also have more family around you than any of them and your family are smarter and quick to counter any claims of you doing something wrong while Gabriela and the boys counter the insults that are guaranteed to come. 8th grade is a different animal than 7th grade: a lot more work and constant oversight to prepare you for the four years ahead. You're ready, a lot of other kids aren't. The one thing to worry about is math: your uncle is not going to go easy on you, but people will claim favoritism with him." She smiled then told Joy, "We've held the others off for long enough. You'll have to talk with Ben and Beth about school tonight. You're going to be in school with their daughter Denise as well as Denise's girlfriend, her niece and nephew, and the Stoners. You're related to Denise through Denise's mom and myself so she's family to you. She'll be more than happy to talk with you about anything as will the others. Denise will also want your ideas for her shows, since you're family to her and you're a lot more experienced with kids who are different. She's considering a character based on your brother, and if my hunch is right- she's making one based on you. You'll get paid for it, as will Jace." Gabriela whined, "How come I never get to do stuff like that? I'm interesting!" Kennedy laughed and added, "You did already, your idea for the bratty politician's daughter was used in a bunch of episodes already. You don't have the writing skills that the others have so you didn't earn as big of a paycheck as the others got, but you did get paid. You blew it on your new laptop and tablet." Kennedy went outside and found the newly arrived Jace and Ryan. She gave Ryan a big hug then gave a kiss to Jace's cheek. Jace didn't react, even if he didn't know who she was. Gabriela came out and told Jace, "That's grandma, she loves kissing cheeks. Lee knows not to try to get away from her, she just grabs him tighter and kisses him twice. Grandpa hugs as well, but he doesn't kiss because his stubble itches us- Lee hates it, grandma says he doesn't shave because he looks better with a mustache than without one and everyone laughs at him whenever we complain about it." Kennedy asked to talk to Jace alone, sat him down, then told him, "There was another attempt to get you away from your family- this time, they went directly here to get you. It's a dumb idea considering that I am involved and was ready, willing, and able to intervene. So I did. I went before a judge and got all of the police within 20 miles of Endicott to back away from you. None of them are able to help those who are trying to hurt you, anyone trying to do so will be in jail for violating a court order. It'll take a higher judge to rescind it, but given that the judge who issued it is a sitting Supreme Judicial Court justice as well as the person whom I was supposed to replace. I'm not stupid, I chose a superior court judgeship. I love the law, but I hate the scrutiny that any decision I have a hand in would have brought." Jace asked what the big deal was, so what if she was transgender. She hugged him for that, kissed his cheek, then told him, "You have no idea how much that means to me. You don't know me, but you just said the best possible thing about hearing about me. You are truly a gentleman and perfect for Wendy." He mumbled, "I just want to treat people right. I don't care about things that I can't control. You're like Wendy, but you are different. Dad and grandma said that you are a lawyer, you have to be smart to be a lawyer. If you're going to be a judge, then you have to have been a good lawyer too. So if you're like Wendy then that must not matter as it didn't stop you from being a good person." Kennedy hugged him again and then firmly told him, "I don't care what anyone says about you: you are Reed and Jessie's son. That is exactly the answer Reed gave about me. He cared about me as a person, you're following in his footsteps. You might not be a lawyer, but you will be your own person. You could be a lot like your uncles or your aunts, no matter what you do you'll do well." Jace asked about Willie and what he thought about him. Kennedy snickered then laughed and explained to him, "He is his own person and always has been. He grew up in this city and met a lot of people who were good and bad. Your relatives were bad, but some were good. Your great-grandmother was one of the best people in the city, she helped raise Willie alongside his parents and kept watch over him after it became clear that they wouldn't live to see him become someone special. You and your sister are two of the greatest things to ever happen to the Williams family. All you need is a chance to be yourselves. I know that you can do well if you have half a chance, you're already showing it with Ryan and Lee." He asked about her other kids. Kennedy laughed and carefully explained, "Billy is earning a degree at college and works part-time for Peterson as a security consultant. He is single and lives with his friend Nigel and Nigel's wife Patricia. The two are close friends with Patricia being happy to have Billy as the brother that she never had. Kylie is busy as sheworks for the city's assessor's office while Jordan works for the family as a financial advisor. They have two small kids at home so don't get the time needed to visit. Even with Jordan's mother retiring soon she still works harder than she should. With both grandfathers retiring in the next two years things should be easier on them, but of course they'll drag their feet over seeing us." Jordan concerned him, Kennedy happily told him, "She's going to be fine with you and your sister. Trust me: she has a lot of experience with crossdressing and trying to appease people. She'll be fine with you, she'll likely tell you stories about their friends and their antics. It's sweet and endearing, they understand you more than you'll ever know. Dressing is common among the kids, heck John did it when he was a boy and it led him to see that it's more than just dressing that all of us women have to do to get ready for the day." Willie entered to tell them that his retirement paperwork went through and Ian had formally applied for the job as chief. There were multiple people vying for the job, but Ian was the only one with experience as a chief and had support from the senior staff. The rest of the applicants were sycophants for unionists and city council members or who had strong disciplinary records and questionable morals. She asked if the Perez twins declined to apply, Willie nodded and added, "They are fine where they are and would rather run things alongside Ian than from the front. They'll get more done as patrol captain and community support captain than as chief. The others pissed off a lot of people over the years and if any of them get selected over the Perez twins there will be an immediate vote of no confidence." Jace was enthralled, Kennedy saw the look of wonder and told the boy, "He doesn't kid around when it comes to the department. He got the job by being the best person for the job and being the only one to be trusted to reform it. And he did, much to the anger of some folks- the same ones who want the job. It was always going to Fabian or Sebastian. You met Fabian, his identical twin brother is just as good of a cop as him and has something Fabian doesn't have: a sense of calm and ability to let bullcrap spew. He earned his job by rising through the ranks, as did Fabian. Ian was their only choice for the job." The group spent the evening together, with Willie getting a workout as the puppies ran around him and saw him happily playing with their toys while Kennedy shook her head at his childishness. Reed had a big smile at his father's fun while Jace struggled with asking if it was normal behavior. The two shared a silent moment as they watched Willie, with Reed finally telling him that his father had a lot to do and was finally starting to see that he could now do more now that he had the free time. In the morning, the kids were told that they were going to help move the Baileys. Jace was afraid of the town's reaction to him being there again while Joy thought that something else might happen to Jace. It was Kennedy who finally solved the issue by telling them that they weren't going alone, they had a lot of others going too which would make any attempts to get at Jace comical. They were joined by the Finns, Petersons, Bollingers, Douglases, and Porters. Jace and Joy got to meet all of Sheila and Ian's cousins with Jace and Joy being told that the Porters were Reed's cousins as well as Sheila's sister and brother-in-law. The two weren't sure if it was a joke or not, Sheila saw the looks and told them, "They're all related to Ian and me even if I sometimes wish my sister wasn't." That got laughs while her sister Avery Porter glared while Al Douglas had to hide her laugh as Ian and her husband Kyle moved her away before she set Avery off. Sheila apologized to the kids for Al being a joker while then telling them that Avery had a bad habit of making things interesting whenever she has a meeting with people who are trying to defraud her company or are lying to her. Avery gave a sly grin that showed that it was true, with Joy trying not to smile over knowing someone so interesting. The Bollingers hugged Joy and Jace and saw Will giving Jace a knowing smirk while his wife Claire did the same with Joy. Both blushed over them sensing something was off about the kids, not knowing that the couple already knew about Mario and Wendy. The two had no idea just how tight-knit everyone in the family was or just how interrelated some were without being incestuous. Al Douglas managed to finally break the ice and asked about their boyfriend and girlfriend. Both had a look of horror while Al added, "Come on, did you really think their parents would ask about you? Scott is a pain in the butt when it comes to his baby girl while George is trying everything possible to keep a tight rein on Jenna. Poor Stacy is heartbroken: her little girl is a woman and has her heart set on a boy while George is fighting his pride over his son being a man now that he has a girl interested in him." Jace saw how big her husband was and understood what he was told about genetics. Kyle was big, but had differences from Ian that were easy to see as his skin was slightly darker than Ian and had a smaller build. Both shared enough similarities to clearly be cousins, giving Jace some solace that what he was told by Wayne and the others was right- he'd get bigger and stronger as time went on. The two went with John and Valerie, with John telling the duo, "Will is related to you through his dad and your grandmother. Claire is related to Sheila through Claire's father and Sheila's mother. They are going along to help a cousin, not spy on you for your grandparents. Gabby doesn't do that, and Zeke is hands-off with the grandkids. You are entirely in Reed and Jessie's care, it just happened that Will was related to Sheila through his wife. We're going because of the extra car and it'll keep our kids away so it goes faster. As nice as they are, they'd inundate you with questions that you don't need right now." Valerie added, "It's more for your protection as nobody will be looking for our car but will know Reed and David's car. We'll get there and if there's trouble we'll have the proper response ready. Kennedy's order is still valid, any judge giving an order is overruled by the justice's order by default." When they parked their car they got an unwanted reception by police. John smirked and asked what the problem was, and was told by one of the officers, "We're hear to arrest this boy. He is wanted by police for questioning regarding a sexual assault in our town. Don't interfere or you will be arrested." Valerie smirked then announced, "I'm this boy's lawyer and demand to see the Supreme Judicial Court order that rescinded their order preventing any questioning of my client by police without due cause. I hope that whomever put you up to this didn't withhold that fact as it's only going to make your apology worse. Please, show the order or I'll have to call the State Police myself to arrest you for violating it." She smiled as the officers hesitated before trying to get at Jace. Miles and David arrived and announced their presence, then Ian ordered the Byfield officers taken into custody. John shook his head and told an upset Ian, "They thought that we'd be stupid enough to turn Jace over because we're from out of town. It might have worked if we hadn't known all of your department members by first name." The Byfield officers swore while Ian told them, "He setup multiple training exercises for our department so we were familiar with a multitude of incidents. He knows all of our officers from ride-alongs with his department. Officer Finn has donated thousands of dollars in equipment to our department over the past decade alongside securing that training. He knew that you weren't from Endicott, weren't here for the kid legally, and knew that he had backup feet away. You are under arrest for attempted kidnapping as well as violating a court order. Enjoy your stay in Suffolk County- that's where you're heading." David called for transport direct then had Miles handle the handover. Jace and Joy were directed inside while Ryan was in awe over the whole turn of events. He had never seen his father act like an officer of the law before, he was always a desk jockey as his so-called friends call Ian- they never got to see that side of him, one that made you afraid to upset him. Jace went up to Ryan's room and started to pack while Joy went to Megan's room to help her with her packing. Ryan's room was mostly filled with electronics and a closet that hadn't been opened in a long time. When Jace opened it he smiled, he understood why Ryan avoided it: there was a bunch of girls as well as unisex clothes inside, ones he clearly hadn't worn in two years. Ryan blushed over his secret stash being found, Jace asked if they still fit then had Ryan start to try the clothes on so they could reuse or donate the ones that were too small. Ryan started changing and gave Jace a reason to blush as Ryan's privates were on display causing Jace to take notice of his few hairs. It caused Ryan to blush as well, Jace looked down at himself and felt like he wasn't manly anymore. Ryan asked what was wrong, Jace mumbled, "You have hair and are bigger than me. You're starting to get big, I'm just going to be small. I'll be lucky to get big as other boys by next year." Ryan hugged him, with Jace hugging back. Ryan blushed and put on underwear, apologizing for being naked still but Jace didn't care about that. Jace didn't notice his penis at all, just the hug. Ryan tried on all of the clothes and felt bad that none of them fit anymore. Jace helped him box them and walked downstairs to where Sheila and Ian were, with Ryan looking sad over having grown too big to be a girl again. Sheila hugged him while Ian told him, "It was inevitable. You're becoming a man." Sheila wisely told him, "We'll get you some more. Your sister will have castoffs in your size. You can be a girl whenever you want now, no more hiding and no more feeling bad about it." Up in Megan's room, the girls were having fun sifting through Megan's old clothes and found a bunch of pictures of her and Ryan that caused Megan to cry. Joy looked them over and smiled, the two were a tight-knit duo with Ryan looking up to his sister in all of the photos. Joy hugged Megan, it was tough to see her brother so happy being her sister knowing that he became a jerk to her not long after. The two blushed as Joy examined Megan's intimates. Megan happily showed her breasts to Joy so she could feel the heft and how they different from her own. It was on instinct, with Joy thanking her for it. The two worked hard and packed Megan's things, with them happy to not have to deal with the TV or her computer. Joy asked if she was upset at moving, Megan happily explained, "I'm thrilled! I get to be around girls like me and family who understands me and not deal with idiots who pretend to like me. I get to have fun in the city without begging mom or dad for a ride or asking grandma if I can stay at her house for the night. I want to live there, I've wanted to live there for years. Endicott isn't home, it never was home to us. Winnisimmet is our home, mom might be newer to it but dad is Winnisimmet-bred." Joy understood and added, "You know more people there than here and you have 2nd-cousins and more there. You have so many people who want to be around you because they know you, not for what you have. You might have a pool here, but you have more things to do down there. I loved this house, but I can gladly get used to Winnisimmet too. Winnisimmet has family, here has idiocy." The two hugged, Megan was crying over confessing that long-held desire while Joy was happy to have a family member who wanted to be her friend even if she already had more than she realized in Liv, Anne, Brooklyn, Elise, and Quinn. They might not have had much time with her after she stayed with the Samuels family but all of them were her friends and wanted her around them- just like Megan. The girls spent a lot of time on Megan's clothes and saw Megan happily having Joy try on any that Joy felt looked cute. Megan was happy to let her have them, they were he older clothes that she never wore anymore and were a size too small. Joy was happy to accept them, especially as they were stylish and in colors that looked great on her even if they were out of season for the moment. Megan took pictures then told Joy, "Quinn said you need to style your hair and Liv said you need to add inserts. Anne said that some makeup will help while Elise said you looked fine but not as good as her. It isn't an insult, she's just snarky to everyone. It means that you're family even if she's a dolt at times." Joy asked about Brooklyn. Megan laughed and pointed out, "She got stuck babysitting today. Austin is a bit cranky so she volunteered to babysit him. She wanted to help but Gruncle John thought that Ausin is going to get into everything so she's better off watching him at home with Granty Alice." The girls finished and brought the boxes downstairs, with the bags of clothes getting a once-over by all of the ladies. Megan happily told them that they were too small for her but perfect for Joy, getting a nod from Jessie and Sheila while the boys wisely didn't say anything. Jessie smiled at the choices, they had a wide selection and nice colors that fit Joy's personality perfectly without being too childish or mature. Megan asked about Ryan's bags, to which Sheila told her, "He's too big for them so they're going to be donated to charity. He's going to get more, he isn't suppressing his feminine side anymore. You'll have your fun with him, as well as the other boys. Don't push things, they do have a right to refuse to do it. I know it'll be tough to do it at times due to your schedule and cheerleading, which I know you'll want to get involved in immediately. The girls will help you, they want both of you to join them." Joy gave a look of wonder, Jessie added, "I wasn't a cheerleader, but your aunts were. Courtney was the third-best on the team, after Stacy and Jaimie. Nobody could do as well as Jaimie." That got a laugh. Megan asked if she was going to be the only transgender girl on the team, Sheila gave a laugh and shot back, "Anne and Liv are joining and Heather is already on the team. Denise said that she's too busy with the shows to do cheerleading this year so had to quit. The team is even coached by Tatum Toro, she'd b e a hypocrite to refuse to allow a girl like herself on the team." The boys wisely didn't make jokes about the girls. Ian caught their silence and told them, "We would let you play youth football but the teams are anti-Finn in every way. They are banned from all city parks as well as all state parks so don't bother trying to field a local team. You can join next year, Thomas has a strong inclusion policy and won't let anyone force you out because of who you are related to. It's hard to not join since Carl and Henry want to join and both Eli and Mario are on it already." The kids were thrilled to hear that, the two liked football but had their issues with playing. Jace could never afford to play due to his grandfather being too cheap to give over the money while Megan made it impossible for Ryan to play even though she wanted nothing to do with anyone in the town. It was a dream come true for them, a chance to play a sport without harassment over their families. Sheila and Ian's bedroom was packed last as they took just about everything except the furniture. They happily told the newly arriving Wyatt, Johnny, and Deborah that it was their house now as the family was now officially moving on to the next phase of their lives. They had Chance Carter and much to John and Ian's enjoyment- Sylvia Samuels. John wisely asked Sylvia, "Did your parents chuck you out or did you finally see that it's time to leave to be with the boy who is madly in love with you?" Sylvia blushed while Chance explained, "Mom said that she can't live with us and Aunt Jaimie said that it's too crowded at home now that Austin is old enough to need his own space. Aunt Courtney said the same to Johnny, momma said it was all your idea so that we are on our own and our own adults. We've got family next door, but since we're in college we can do things on our own from now on." Johnny glared at John while Sylvia blushed. Their grandfather had set them up to leave the nest and did so with all of the parents having good reason for them leaving that they couldn't counter. It also made an empty house full and would give them a chance to be on their own while still around close family. John hugged his two eldest grandchildren and firmly told them, "You are more mature than you think. I know that you will make us all proud. You deserve the chance to be alone and free from the eyes of all of us. You are your own people, studying your own subjects, earning your own degrees. You aren?t like your parents and they weren?t like your grandparents. Sylvia, you are your father?s daughter but you?re your mother I so many ways. Johnny, you are your father in all but your looks- thankfully. You two are the most mature among your generation. You might not be the eldest, but you sure are the ones who?re setting the examples that everyone else follows." Turning to Wyatt and Deborah, he hugged them and firmly told them, "This is your home now. You have a right to live here and nobody can force you out. Your parents own this, your mother inherited it from a man and woman who worked hard to pay for it. You belong here, more so than the brats trying to get rid of you. Don?t let them push you around, they have no right to do so and if they try to force you out it won?t end well for them. You are Petersons, Pattersons, Baileys, Jameses, and Finns. Carry on your families? legacies with our blessing and show the world that you are your own people." The family left to go to dinner in town, with Sheila hugging and kissing her cousins at the restaurant. It was a James family reunion that saw Sheila in tears as everyone happily told her that they would miss her even though she was only 25 miles away. She?d drive up to Endicott to oversee their businesses, but it wasn?t the same as being in town and next door as she had been for 19 years. The gathering caught the eyes of multiple townsfolk and led to a lot of whispering about what Ian and Sheila were doing. Hearing that they were leaving caused a lot of rumors to swirl with several making a bold claim of Ian being fired by the town for getting caught lying to State Police the other day. It got to the point that John had to hold back Johnny from saying something, much to his displeasure. John got up to go to the bathroom and got held back by several, "Concerned parties" who noted that he was part of the Bailey/James party. John didn?t confirm it, he let them make their intentions known and let everyone see just what they were really like when nobody was around to hear. It was usual for him, it was easy to mistake John for just another person even though he was vastly wealthy with bigger bank accounts than the entire town combined- second only to Sheila herself! John let them ask about the Baileys and what was going on. John didn?t lie, he told the truth: Sheila and Ian were moving back to Winnisimmet with their son and daughter. That sparked a lot of whispers, John let it go on then added, "He has a new job offer while she will continue to run her business up here. The two kids have plenty of friends and family in Winnisimmet, particularly in their schools." John let them think the worst, he then added, "Ian is being appointed as the new chief of police for our city. His contract officially runs out tomorrow night and his new position starts just after midnight the next day. Sheila will commute, something you people do every day and pretend that you don?t. And if you think that you will get your hands on her family home- think again. Ian and Sheila Bailey may be moving, but Wyatt and Deborah Bailey are remaining. As are my grandson and granddaughter. As is my future grandson-in-law. Don?t try to claim that they are trespassing or that they are unattended, they are all 21 and from good families and each have multi-million dollar trust funds courtesy of me." He walked off to speculation about just who he was. David towered over the worst gossipers and told a shocked crowd, "That man is John Finn, head of the Finn Foundation, Inferno Productions, Inferno TV, minority owner of the Boston Red Sox, and real estate developer. He?s the second- richest person here, second only to my cousin Sheila. Bailey might not be known to you- but her maternal family name is: Peterson. As in Peterson Manufacturing, of which she is the largest shareholder. You trashed her as just a poor woman from Winnisimmet yet she has more wealth sitting in the bank than this town combined. And unlike this town, hers is liquid and able to be used whenever she wants- like saving most of those businesses around this restaurant. The ones not saved were ones she chose to not save due to your own actions against her cousin and friends. So think before you slander her good name: just what can she do to you to get back at you for hurting her? A lot, actually. And all of it legal." David was threatened but he showed his badge and told the complainers, "We know who you are and we are going to have a chat with you soon. Don?t leave the state, I?d hate to issue an arrest warrant for you. It?s easier on everyone to cooperate instead of humiliating your family." The group finished their meal and left. Ian made one final stop, dropping off a letter at town hall to be opened the next day and read at the town meeting. The contents of the letter were simple: the town was in a bad state and he chose to move his family elsewhere after accepting a job with higher pay, better hours, close friends working alongside him, and stronger municipal support- the ideal situation. The group drove south and saw Ryan reluctantly parting from the puppies and Penas. He hugged Jace and kissed Joy on the cheek, with her doing the same to him. He kept himself together, but lost it when the puppies barked over his feeling sad leading to them wanting to cheer him up. Sheila walked him to their new house and hugged him deeply, then told him affectionately, "You?ll see all of them soon. You still have to spend the weekend with kids in transition as punishment but it?ll also do you some good to get to know other kids your own age who understand what you went through. It?s eye-opening, you?ll get something out of it one way or another." The next morning saw Ian asked to speak to the city council about his possible employment as the new chief of police while Sheila was considered for employment as a librarian in one of the school libraries. She declined the job offer, she didn?t want to take a job from someone who needed it and she already had a job overseeing her business interests in Endicott. The message was clear to both of them: the two were seen as important people whom the city needed in one way or another. The meeting was that night and saw all of Ian?s family gathering to witness the meeting. He had no idea what the urgency was, he was going to accept the job but it sounded like it was more than it seemed to be. With the city council, he learned long ago never to make assumptions about their motives. The meeting also saw some of Ian?s few detractors while he was a Winnisimmet officer there to have a say in the selection process. As they saw just who was there alongside Ian their attempt to derail things got the better of them as they complained loudly about an inside deal and the council meeting violating the state?s open meeting law. They screwed-up by speaking next to Ian?s colleagues/cousins-in-law?s husbands- the Perez twins, his picks for #2 and #3 for the department. Sebastian Perez listened to the idiots complain then happily butted in by saying, "You are aware that the only way the job could have been offered to Ian is by the big boss retiring- the same boss whose son is the Attorney General and who has no qualms in going after the city for violating the law. The same son who was consulted on the matter as a character witness for Ian. The same son who wouldn?t let the city hold this meeting without notifying the public about this meeting online, on the city?s public access channel, and in the newspaper. I hate to break it to you, but the law is clear: 48 hours minimum. It was posted 72 hours ago. The newspaper purposely didn?t run the announcement, but the others did." Fabian growled, "It?s not his fault that all of you are getting fired for gross misconduct that you?ve kept under wraps thanks to changing evidence. You weren?t as sly as you thought, everything that you did is logged and handed off to the State Police for investigation. You can threaten to sue the city for ignoring your high civil service score, but his was higher and mysteriously he never got promoted. You were, in fact you were twice. You were never going to be chief, you didn?t deserve to be captain or lieutenant." The usual threats against their safety were made, that was followed by Oscar Pierce happily showing a badge and telling them, "That constitutes criminal threats and was witnessed by myself and two of my colleagues. You are under arrest. And don?t try to threaten me with having my family harmed or my wife harassed, I?d hate for you to end up in Worcester in isolation as my colleagues investigate you." Oscar?s threats were overheard by other officers who stood by him and forced their colleagues to leave with David and Miles. Oscar nodded to them to show thanks, but knew that they only reacted due to it being clear that if they didn?t they too would have been next to go when Ian took control the following week. They weren?t stupid, but little did they know David and Miles already had enough evidence to go after several additional officers including the ones who helped Oscar. The meeting was a standard meeting complete with speeches and people making their feelings known for the record, both for and against Ian?s hiring. Two councilors were vehemently against his hiring and let it be known that they didn?t appreciate that his son was a crossdresser and his daughter transgender. It set off a war of words with other councilors who made it clear that they wouldn?t allow any member of the council to go after family of city employees thus making the horrible complaints out of line. When the vote finally occurred, Ian was appointed by an 8-3 vote. He stood before the council and told all of them, "I?m offended that the council chose to make an issue of my son and daughter. My children are in no way a danger to anyone nor are they deviants. One of you has been accused of molesting kids by several different people and accepted a plea deal to avoid serious charges yet never revealed that to anyone on the council before taking office. One of you has multiple drunk driving arrests including one that resulted in serious injuries. I know of this because I was the arresting officer while serving in my role as chief of police in Endicott. The third of you was convicted of spousal and child abuse yet for no valid reason you have neither paid a fine nor served jail time. This will be rectified as several troopers are in attendance as is the Attorney General. I promise that all offenses will be prosecuted, that is not a threat: that is a promise. Family is not to be abused by the council, yet you chose to do so." Willie stepped forward and nodded to Ian. He stood firm and boldly proclaimed, "I retired due to three members using their clout to block all of my attempts to fix growing problems. I have been chief for 27 years and have not seen such attempts to force the city to revert back to our pre-2015 times. This is not a shock, given that they were close to one family that terrorized the city for 50 years before my family chose to take a stand and fight back against them. These gentlemen don?t represent anyone but a few in this city who are angry that they have to work hard, earn a living honestly, and can?t force their views on the city like their parents and grandparents did. Change hurt them hard, their fortune waned as they had no way of extorting people or manipulating the city into giving them exclusive contracts anymore. I pity them. I am sad to see the writing on the wall but am happy to leave the city in the hands of one of the best officers that we as a department ever produced. He brings with him two men who are the best at their jobs: Sebastian Perez as the new patrol division captain and Fabian Perez as our community affairs division captain. These two earned their positions through being top the civil service exam lists the past four years yet were held back by these three men, men who refused to allow their promotions. I agreed the first time, but last time as I was about to promote them their jobs mysterious disappeared as I prepared notice. You all weren?t consulted as per law, those communications were intercepted and the ones that were received stated that the positions would remain unfilled until the next list. Again, this is both questionable and something that regularly happened in the past- before I became chief." He let the council know just how he felt about things, finally venting his anger. The council adjourned and upon reconvening stated to Willie that they were going to ask for an investigation and that the three who had blocked his attempts to promote the Perez twins as well as force Ian?s withdrawal as their new chief were resigning in disgrace at the council?s request. It was his final win, he was officially retired as chief and would leave office the following Friday night with Ian taking over immediately afterward. The group left after obligatory pictures of the Baileys with Ian struggling to ignore the reporters trying to get a statement from him about all of the allegations made by trio of city councilors while avoiding a group of officers trying to get close to him to get favor from him. It was par the course for him as he?d done it before with the Red Sox whenever one of the family members was in the news, especially as he was notoriously cranky and unafraid to express his mind when he got upset. He had a strong reason to avoid everyone though: he didn?t want to taint the cases against certain people, like the officers that he knew were arrested earlier by Oscar, Miles, and David. The next day was chaos as Ryan and Jace went with Jaimie and Fiona to the trip with transgender kids that Ryan had been sentenced to by Sheila and Ian. Ryan was nervous, especially as he saw the girls and boys in various stages of transition. Jace felt bad for them, especially as he saw that some of them had clear bruises that were covered by makeup and sported wigs due to forced haircuts by adults. Ryan?s quietness caused several of the girls to fear him, but Jaimie happily told them that he was trying to not upset them due to having learned his lesson about girls and boys who were actually transgender as well as his having a sister like them. Fiona explained how he was targeted by kids who wanted him to be their patsy and cause his sister to do something horrible to herself making his parents look bad, he looked away in shame causing them to want to know more about him. It was exactly what they hoped would happen: he was causing them to see that being transgender affected others too. Ryan finally admitted that he was a crossdresser and that was really why the boys went after him: they wanted to use his being feminine against him and remove him from being friendly with any of the girls in school. This backfired on the boys as it led to the girls trying to get him to be a girl which caused him to be girly while with them. The boys were jealous of him and went out of their way to ensure that he knew just what girls would do to him if he acted girly: they?d make him into one like his sister. This caused the girls there to laugh and complain that those boys had no idea what goes through the minds of girls, especially girls like them. He explained that he liked being feminine and looking pretty, but he wasn?t a girl inside and just wanted to be their friend- not one of them and not their girlfriend at the time. He felt like a weight was lifted, and when they complained that he made a better girl than them he told them that he wished that he didn?t because he hated that they were in the wrong bodies. The girls shed tears over hearing that, he really did understand them and admitted something that was kept hidden for a long time. He never told Megan that, but he did hate that they weren?t built right and it made them feel like less of a person when around genetic girls. He had strong empathy for them, the one thing that most people lacked when dealing with girls and boys born in the wrong bodies. Fiona suggested that Jace and Ryan show the girls just what they knew, allowing the girls to enjoy their chance to give a makeover to someone who was willing to be girly while still male inside. This hid her true intent, she wanted the boys to see that masculinity didn?t mean absence of femininity. The two had a strong masculine streak, it was hidden by fear and abuse but drove their protectiveness for the girls. After an hour, Jaycee and Ryan were ready to be shown to the boys. The boys had looks of outrage and disgust over the boys doing that, which Fiona happily told them, "You might not like being genetic girls but being feminine isn?t something that is a crime. The boys feel the same way about being masculine, they learned the hard way that being overly masculine is just as bad as being overly feminine. There?s a balance that can be found, one that allows some femininity in you while being masculine- just as they found out that some femininity can be allowed alongside their masculinity. Sports can be countered by arts or dance, affection can be countered by fighting: balance is needed in life, once you have found it your lives will start to get better as the real you is able to emerge and be the boys that you truly are." The boys apologized while the girls nodded in mutual understanding: they might have breasts now and were on blockers but that didn?t mean that they had to eschew all masculine endeavors. They were girls and girls could do things that boys could do, just because they had male parts did not mean that every one of the things that they used to do as boys had to be tossed away. They would be able to still do the same sports and enjoy the same movies and TV shows, nothing really changed except their bodies. The group went to bed in separate buildings, with Ryan and Jace joining the boys. They felt weird as it was clear that several had breasts that were hidden under binders but knowing that they were boys and not girls made them understand that looks weren?t everything. The awkwardness left immediately when the boys told them that they better not snore or they?d be out in the woods, causing them to laugh and let all remaining awkwardness go- especially as they showed they?d actually do it! The next morning was controlled chaos as the kids ate and talked while Jaimie and Fiona observed the interactions. Ryan dressed as a girl again while Jace was in boy mode. Ryan and the girls talked freely until they broke for individual activities, with Ryan going with the girls and Jace the boys. The two had a lot in common with the groups and saw just why they were really there: they gave the girls and boys a new person to talk to who shared experiences but weren?t trying to influence them or date them. Jace and the boys swam while the girls played basketball and softball, then swapped after lunch with it clear that Ryan was starting to grow more and more confident as a person around the girls. He talked as if he was one of them, with the girls happily teasing him that he?d be a perfect girl. Ryan wasn?t upset over hearing that, especially as he was glad to have people around him who didn?t want to use him. Jace struggled with the boys, especially as they were rough and focused on winning. He gave up after a few games and told them that they were starting to act like the boys who tormented him and Ryan. That caused the boys to get angry and threaten him, but Fiona added, "He?s telling the truth. This is what we were hoping would happen: showing that you are trying too hard to be what you aren?t. You are boys. I know that you are boys. You know that you are boys. Jace knows that you are boys. But you don?t have to force the world to conform to what you feel boys should be. This is exactly what you were trying to fight against: forcing other people?s views on you. He hasn?t done any of that, yet you did it to him." Jace was upset and needed Jaimie to talk with him. He was in tears, they hurt him deeply with what had been said about him. He was a boy, he didn?t need to show that he was a boy to anyone else. Ryan and he were told that they had done more for the kids in 24 hours than anyone else could do in a decade. The two were told that they would go home that evening, their job was done. They felt upset at being pushed out, but Jaimie softly told them, "We wanted you to come along to give the kids someone who wanted to help them but who wasn?t being paid to do so or who felt bad for them. You came here because you wanted to come, even though you didn?t have to. We?re happy that you showed all of the girls that boys can be feminine and still be masculine. You showed the boys that they don?t have to hide their past fully, that they can embrace girly things. You earned the right to leave. I also want you two to enjoy time at home, you need more time as friends without pressure or pretense." The two left as a new group were arriving, with Jaimie introducing several of them to Jace. Ryan had to hide his blush when a young girl with the adults caught his eye. Jaimie caught this and smiled, he had a crush on her and had no clue yet just how much that girl meant to the family. The two were introduced to the adults and girl. Jaimie happily told Jace, "These fine people are Melinda Smith, Tabby Jones, Aggy Kelly, and Piper Finn. Aggy is your father?s 2nd- cousin so is family to you. These other brats are Pierre and Anita Dupree and their daughter Clara. Clara is here because she?s one of the few people who has grown-up among both transgender women and transgender men. She?s also a great listener, even if she sometimes can?t stop talking. Whatever you do, don?t let dad know that you saw them as he?ll whine about Clara ensuring that his hearing faded early due to her crying." Clara glared at her while the others laughed. Ryan blushed deeply and tried to look away, with Clara asking who he was. Jaimie realized her mistake too late, Ryan had never met Clara before. Ryan tried to find the right words but couldn?t vocalize anything. Anita realized what was going on and had to fight saying something wile Pierre glared at Ryan over taking an interest in his daughter. It was a big step for Clara: a boy who had just met her and who didn?t know their family history liked her. Anita finally told Clara, "This is Ryan Bailey, Sheila and Ian?s son. He?s the one who Megan keeps away from and who never wanted to go to Winnisimmet so hasn?t met you before. He was also sentenced by the family to go here this weekend, but it looks like he got pardoned." Jaimie countered, "He served his sentence despite not needing to. He?s why Miles and David had to do a lot of overtime and why Oscar got dragged into working alongside them. It?s the Scott situation all over again, only this time it was premeditated and nipped in the bud before Ryan got forced to hurt Megan." Clara asked what they were talking about, Anita sighed and told her, "Ryan said a lot of nasty things to Jace and his sister. Why he said it was exposed: he was forced to by boys in school. He had to or else he would be hurt by them. They were going to have him hurt his sister to set an example for all of the kids in school but it was exposed by your uncles. He still had to be punished but he was given time off after they learned what caused him to act as he did. Please don?t think the worst about him, a lot of the boys and girls who act horrible are doing so under pressure of others. You know how bad they can be, I hate that you have seen it but you also know that there is good in some of them if they have the chance to be who they really are. You have had us and your aunts and uncles to show you how to act, he hasn?t had that support due to being forced to keep it hidden from everyone not in the family." She looked upset at him, like he betrayed her. Ryan looked away in shame and walked off to the car, he couldn?t stay there anymore after Clara showed that she didn?t like him. It stung him deeply, a girl who just met him was upset at him over something that he tried to make amends for. Tabby told Jace that his puppy was terrorizing his grandfather causing Jace to apologize. Aggy laughed at that, it was actually what puppies did and something that Willie actually loved since it gave him the exercise that he needed without having to do much more than move a few feet. They enjoyed watching him get that workout, especially when he was teased by everyone afterward. Melinda kept silent and observed him without speaking. Jace started to get concerned about her but the ladies laughed it off while Anita proclaimed, "She?s trying to think and when she does it usually means a few people are in a lot of trouble. Come on, Melinda, you know they aren?t stupid enough to go after a kid around you especially as you aren?t afraid to rip them to shreds- they saw you and know exactly the danger to them if they tried to go against you in court." Melinda growled, "I still have to report this. Pierre, would you wait a mile down the road for the cruiser with me? I need to ensure that these idiots end up behind bars even if I can?t do the prosecuting. It?s not going to stand and I?m sick of badges being used as an excuse to get their way up there." Pierre nodded and left with Melinda to go meet the State Police cruiser outside the camp, with Jace being told that they couldn?t leave yet. Clara and Ryan tried hard to avoid one another but it was tough to do with them growing more and more bored over having nothing to do and Clara having only gone to there to see for herself the new kids that she had heard about. She wanted to meet Jace, meeting the upsetting Ryan only taxed her more she felt something she never felt before- lust and longing. Anita casually asked Ryan what he did while there. Ryan recounted his dressing and talking with all of the girls causing Clara to gasp at him. He looked away in shame, he didn?t want to upset her more. Anita saw her daughter?s look and happily told her, "He?s in touch with his inner girl. He?s not like me or your uncle, he?s simply open to being feminine. He?s more of a man than the boys in your school, he is doing what none of them would dare to do: be a girl and enjoying being one. I know that this was a lot of what caused him to be a jerk to his sister and say nasty things, the boys in his school tormented a lot of the kids and used his dressing against him. It?s serious enough to get the attention of your uncles, I know that the boys? parents have way too much influence in the school and likely the town. Ryan isn?t a monster, he learned the reality of girls like me and he tried to do good last night and today. He?s a big man, like your father. Don?t tell me that your father isn?t the manliest man you?ve ever met because he did things like Ryan did only he did a lot more: sex, which you?re too young to have." Clara wanted to gag over hearing that last part while Ryan looked away in shame. Anita happily told a listening Jace, "Yes, he had sex dressed as a girl. The boys in his boyband did a lot of sexual things back then, stuff that he regrets while they didn?t really care much about. He?s all man, even if he dressed as a girl. He had no shame in giving me sex the same way I received it, he didn?t care so long as I was able to enjoy myself. I loved him for it, but I know not everyone is secure in their masculinity like him." Jace blushed while Clara had to go off before she vomited. Ryan didn?t move, he listened and waited to learn more as Anita had a point to make. She nodded and told him, "You don?t have to be someone else. Be yourself. Be Ryan Bailey, son of Ian and Sheila. Be a girl who is really a boy. Be a boy who enjoys a dress and skirts. Be yourself, it?s all that the family asks of you. Just don?t rush into dating, Clara is a good girl at heart but she?s slow when it comes to boys and their intentions." Ryan quickly told her, "I don?t want to do anything with her. She doesn?t like me for what I did, I?m not going to try to date a girl who doesn?t like me no matter how pretty she is. I?m not like other boys. I?m not going to jump on every girl who makes me feel weird inside. She?s pretty, but I don?t want her." Clara wanted to complain but her mother?s look told her to stop. Tabby hugged Ryan to calm him then led him to the car to wait for the all clear. Inside, she told him, "She?s upset at you but she?s a good girl at heart. She is sensitive about people who say hurtful things about transgender people, especially with her knowing that she?s not her mother?s daughter- her ?mother? is an egg donor, her father is the father. Her uncle is transgender as well, her cousins are both of her uncles? children biologically even if one is a biological female. Anita is trying to soften her hardened exterior, but some things take a long time. She likes you, she?s a stubborn girl but it was clear that she likes you. Give it time, she?ll come around or she?ll alienate herself from our kids as they are fine with you and know the truth." Ryan didn?t believe that Anita was born male genetically, Aggy walked over and explained, "She wasn?t always female. She didn?t come out until she went to live with us after getting kicked out of her former college. She slowly accepted that she had been female inside all along and didn?t know the truth until it was told to her by others. We regretted pushing her towards femininity, but she embraced it eventually." Ryan understood now, but still asked about why they were really there. Aggy snickered and told him, "I had the luck of being in the area and free to get you boys. Tabby was along for the ride, and Melinda is actually here to talk with the other kids about life beyond school. All of our in-laws have family who?re transgender: Melinda?s sister-in-law and niece, my mother-in-law and cousin-in-law, Tabby?s cousin-in-law, and our aunt and cousin are all transgender. We grew up around transgender people." Aggy then added, "Tabby and Melinda?s cousin-in-law is Jaimie. You?ve met Anne, Melinda is married to her uncle. You haven?t met Denise yet, she?s my cousin-in-law. We have friends who?re transgender but not directly related to us, like Trinity Eliza. I know you?ve heard of Trinity?s sister-in-law Stormy, you met Stormy?s father-in-law Wayne who just happens to have been a friend of Anita. We?re all in a complicated relationship but all of us are experienced with girls and boys who are transgender." Anita returned with a morose Clara. Clara hugged Ryan and kissed his cheek, causing him to hug her to show that he wasn?t upset with her. She walked off without saying a word, but he had a smile that said more than he could ever do with words: he liked her a lot, even if they weren?t getting along yet. Melinda called to tell them that they were all clear to head home. Pierre offered to drive the boys, with it clear to the ladies that it wasn?t a request. Aggy boldly told him not to hurt them or upset them even more or else he?d answer to Hannah, causing him to swear that he wouldn?t do anything to them. In the car, he told the boys, "Nobody dares upset Hannah. She?s the scariest person you?ll ever meet if in an angered state. She doesn?t have to physically harm you, she?ll rip you to shreds just with her words. I have met music moguls who could destroy entire companies cower in fear over her raised voice. She?s just like her great-aunt, nobody upsets Granty Victoria and survives intact." Jace looked upset at hearing that, Pierre asked what was the matter to which Jace mumbled, "Victoria is my new grandmother. She?s also related to my grandfather. I don?t want her to be upset at me." Pierre laughed at hearing that then told him, "It?s genetic with the women of your family. Your sister is the same, she just hasn?t exploded like Hannah or Victoria yet. And Hannah isn?t the worst one: Cat is a thousand times worse and doesn?t hold back. Daisy can at least be reasoned with while Claire vents her anger through her doing things with the kids but Cat can?t be reasoned with nor can she be distracted or redirected: she?s a raging inferno whose only outlet is stopping whatever upsets her." The rest of the drive was in silence as the boys tried hard to not think about the angry woman who had a big man like Pierre afraid. As they approached the Bailey home Pierre growled, "Speak of the devil and he doth appear. Don?t let her intimidate you: Hannah is all bark and no bite with kids. It?s only the adults that she has issues with. She?s happy to let your parents discipline you instead." The boys saw a woman standing outside with Sheila and the girls. Joy was laughing alongside Megan as the woman laid eyes on them. She gave a long, hard stare at Jace causing him to move back, but had to move forward as Pierre forced them forward as he carried their bags. Pierre gruffly told the woman, "Back away. He?s not in the mood to be harassed by a harpy who has no sense of boundaries. Clara needs a smack or two to get her to not listen to rumors: you really need to not gossip when the kids are around, especially old gossip!" Hannah challenged him but the other woman with her added, "You love juicy gossip, but I think you?re finally in the wrong. What did she do? He doesn?t have any bruises but he doesn?t look happy." Pierre sighed then told them, "She snubbed him after falling for him at first sight. She had to be told the truth: he?s Scott, but without the physical abuse. She was told all about the crap he spouted off but the ladies were happy to have had him. She doesn?t get that some people aren?t monsters despite what they say or how they act. Thanks to you, she?s conflicted! All because you just had to gossip about him!" The woman had to hold Hannah back, telling her firmly, "Don?t get upset at him. We told you that it?s a bad idea to talk about the kids without knowing the facts, yet you wanted to know everything about it and didn?t listen to Jaimie or Fiona. Megan told you herself that he?s different, yet you still talked as if he wasn?t and it only caused Clara to believe the rumors. He doesn?t need your crap, so apologize and be an adult before Granty Victoria ensures that you face her wrath." Hannah turned white and left, with the woman who talked with her finally introducing herself as Paige Smith, Hannah?s sister-in-law and best friend as well as Anne?s mother. Jace felt scared while the already upset Ryan tried to go inside to get away from her. Paige grabbed him into a deep hug and gave a kiss on his cheek, leaving him unable to break free of her grip. Paige offered him a soothing, "Hannah didn?t mean anything by talking about you with Anita, she is the toughest one of us around the kids and wanted to ensure that you weren?t what those boys tried to make you out to be. She knows all too well that you were manipulated, she saw it before and accepted that it wasn?t the real Scott nor Rachel nor even Polly. I suppose everyone forgot about Polly, but she?s really the closest to what you were: all talk, no bite. And it took being all alone to get everyone to see that she wasn?t what people thought she was. She?s an amazing woman, and her husband is pretty great too." Laughing at the idea, she told Ryan, "Hannah speaks before she thinks. You?re 13, you have a lot of the same issues as the others and did a lot of things that were done by others under the same reasons. She?s dense at times: you needed people to help you but you weren?t able to seek help because you weren?t in a position to ask for it. Everyone was concerned with Megan and the twins, you didn?t do much to get their attention but nobody thought to ask why. The why is the reason for all of your issues. Jace brought it out of you, even if it almost caused you to lose everything that you had. You recovered and proved it to be others? work not your own. You are a good person inside, now you can be that person outside." Pierre tried to back out but Paige loudly told him, "Tell her that he isn?t that boy and if she doesn?t see it for herself after talking with the girls and boys then she isn?t the girl that we thought that she was. She is a tough kid, but she needs to see that some people aren?t monsters. She worships Hannah, but that?s a double-edged sword and for once it cut her badly. She clearly has an interest in Ryan, don?t overdo the big bad daddy bit: you aren?t the tough guy that you think you are. You?re her father, but she has more powerful people supporting her than you- Hannah, Aggy, Tabby, Melinda, Piper, and Trinity alone. It?ll take time, but they could simply need a chance to be alone together. Lord knows, it?s happened before!" He grunted and left, with Ryan blushing deeply over them all but setting him up with Clara. Sheila did him a big favor and moved the giggling Megan away while Joy gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jace had a stoic look, he knew that they?d tease him about Wendy since he was the same way when around her. The boys told the ladies about what happened and got them smiling at them being manipulated by both Jaimie and Fiona into giving the boys and girls strong things to think about. Sheila was smiling most, it was the biggest sign that Ryan was his own person and whatever he did in the past wasn?t the real boy. He was the same caring, loving, friendly, happy boy that she had known before starting middle school. Over at the Pena home, Jace told Reed and Jessie that Melinda stopped another attempt to get at him. It led Reed to growl and call someone on the phone before telling Jace, "I spoke with the US Attorney. It?s gone too far and these people have broken the last law. Melinda isn?t one to force the issue, but when it is clear that the next step is using federal agents to get you the US Attorney needs to get involved. He?s a friend and is happy to help you, he has US Marshals issuing federal warrants for all those involved." Jessie laughed then proclaimed, "Uncle Callum is involved. He?s the US Marshal for Massachusetts so is the one who personally forced the deputies to execute the warrants or they themselves would face the US Attorney for civil rights violations. Those idiots up north really don?t know anything about just who they are dealing with- Maisie is friends with both Kylie and Mia! It doesn?t take much to see that she?s the daughter of the US Marshal nor is it hard to put 2 and 2 together to see that you?d be protected by a force nobody can fight against: the courts. The FBI can?t help, not with the US Marshal interceding. If Uncle Callum wanted, he could have the FBI director himself tell the agents to back off and help him!" The kids went to bed feeling better. After they went to bed and had the puppies standing guard over the bedrooms, Reed and Jessie talked about the next morning. Neither kid remembered that they had to go to Boston for the hearing regarding their custody, it was for the best as Jace would be upset and Joy had to restrain herself from trying to help when she couldn?t do anything at that point. The kids were awoken early the next morning and saw them having to walk the puppies before eating a quick breakfast. Once finished, they were dressed in a suit and dress and told that they had to go to an important hearing in Boston. The two were afraid, they feared that they?d be taken away again but the two did their best to calm them especially when Reed told them, "We?re all going: all of your paternal and new paternal family. We aren?t holding back, you need the support." Reed wasn?t kidding as they were met by the rest of the Penas, Kings, Porters, Vincents, Finns, Pierces, Bollingers, Castillos, and finally Fiona and Jaimie. John was told to stay back, but Miles and David had little choice but to go as they were there for support and to arrest certain witnesses who appeared in the courtroom. Judge Parker would understand, especially as it involved abuse of the legal system. The convoy drove on to the courthouse in Boston and parked at a private lot with heavy security. They were met by Callum Campbell who introduced himself to Joy and Jace before telling Reed, "You have a group of deputies executing federal arrest warrants shortly. Trial Court Security know not to interfere or expel the deputies, State Police are on standby and Boston has assured that they won?t interfere." The group entered the courtroom but weren?t the first to arrive, that honor was held by the Jameses and Perezes. Alexandra introduced her husband to the kids and happily told them, "He is fully aware of all of the instances that will be claimed as he knows the families involved and who were trying to get at them to get them to lie. They owe him a lot of money for legal consulting which he never collected, he called in their debts to get them to tell the truth and only the truth no matter what. They would all be bankrupt if they chose to lie, especially as he has every counter to any claim that could be made against Jace." The group went quiet as the Williams family entered. Their lawyer glared at Alexandra and swore as he saw her husband Paul. Paul just smiled and didn?t say a word, he knew that he had already won. Judge Parker was one of the fairest judges in the state and to bring any evidence without support earned you a stern warning and likely cost you your case especially when it came to custody cases. Maurice, "Moe" Lyon was a notorious for his lying and use of manipulating of facts to get wins. He had never gone in front of Roy Parker, he exuded an arrogance that Roy wouldn?t allow. If he didn?t have all of his facts and ready to counter Ricardo Vincent?s facts then his case was lost. Moe wasn?t afraid to use underhanded tactics and brought in several reporters who claimed to be part of his case and whose presence in the courtroom was required as they needed to be there to counter what was going to be claimed by Ricardo. The clerk saw the ruse and allowed them in, but knew that they would get removed quickly by Roy when he entered and asked just what their relationship was to the Penas and Williams family and if they didn?t give a truthful answer he?d hold them in contempt for attempting to pervert the course of justice as well as interfere in a custody case involving several kids. Roy didn?t fool around, if they tried that stunt it?d go on record and he?d personally ensure that those who employed them fired them on the spot and apologized to the Penas as well as the kids after they had paid a hefty sum of money for slander and libel. The last to enter was an old man who seemed out of place in the courtroom. The way that he was being eyed by Victoria showed that he was actually part of the case even if he wasn?t directly involved. There was some discussion with the court officers as to whether they should remove him, but the clerk had an inkling that he was going to have a say as someone who had a right to have a say in the case. Victoria?s eyeing the man caused Willie to ask what was going on. Victoria pulled herself out of it and confessed to her son, "That man who just came in is my cousin Ezekiel. He?s the eldest Williams and the one that I hoped would never try to have a say in this case. This could be trouble, I hope he doesn?t try to be like his sister or this will get ugly fast. He doesn?t play nice nor does he accept defeat." Willie read the man?s reactions and couldn?t get a bead on him. He looked over at Zeke and saw that he was clearly related to him, so much so that he could be Zeke?s father. It was clear that Zeke was one of them, even if he swore off his family name he had blood relatives- Roland was the prime example of it. Roy entered and asked for the nature of the case. He saw the reporters and shook his head and told all of them to come forward and state their business in the courtroom. There was confusion and a look of anger from them, but the court clerk reiterated the demand while court officers forced them to move forward towards the bench and speak their business in the courtroom. One by one they told him who they were and why they were there. Roy shook his head then told all of the reporters, "You just lied in open court. You aren?t here as witnesses, you are here to report on this as it involves not one but two powerful politicians in this state. I won?t allow that, you are to be removed from this courthouse, all video seized and destroyed as per child protection guidelines, and you are to issue public apologies to the state for trying to pervert the course of justice and interfere in the lives of two children who have already had their lives torn apart by people forcing their views on them." Roy signaled for the officers to seize all recording equipment then had others remove the reporters in a mass group while sending others outside to tell the awaiting reporters that there would be no statement nor would there be any footage of the hearing as it involved juveniles. The majority outside left but the few who remained refused to leave, citing freedom of the press. That only got the officers laughing as a state trooper arrived with a court order from the Supreme Judicial Court barring them from being there. The chaos caught the public?s attention as the reporters who setup shop just off of the property had all of their live shots ruined by people complaining about their reporting while others had people yelling at the reporters for harassing families trying to settle their issues. After an hour of trying, all of the camera crews were called away, this time having had someone high-up in corporate intervene and kill all of the stories. They knew who did it, they just wouldn?t dare complain: John Finn wasn?t one to go against- it was career suicide and poison to all of your reports in the future. All of the drama over the reporters actually helped the Penas as Roy ensured that they were gone and it was, "Safe" to start the case. Roy had the kids go to his chambers and talk with him alone, with Fiona as a guardian. Jessica would have gone, but she wasn?t seen as objective due to being related to Reed. Inside his chambers, Roy asked the kids what the heart of the matter was. Jace looked saddened but did the only thing he could do: told the truth. He feared what would happen if he tried to lie, especially as it was clear that the judge wasn?t going to let him lie regardless. He took a deep breath then explained, "It?s because I dress as a girl sometimes. I did it for a few years as it was fun and Joy loved it. When she became friends with Megan Bailey things started to get bad. The boys in school would go after me and torment me then their parents kept trying to get me expelled from school. Megan was the only person who treated me like I was normal and I liked being around her and her family. They treated us like one of them, especially when I was acting like a little sister to them." Joy added, "He isn?t transgender, he just liked to be my sister whenever the boys would harass me due to our being in our grandparents? care. They said we were poor white trash because that?s all we Williams are. Megan and I met at a summer program and her parents let me come over every weekend. She was a great friend and they considered taking us in but DCF never got back to them about us. Megan said it was going to happen, but it never did. Grandpa and Grandma told us to forget about ever having a new family as we were just garbage, so we didn?t get our hopes up." Roy sensed something else happened. Jace looked over at Fiona who nodded. Jace confessed, "We were over her house every weekend until last summer. For two months before it ended we spent one night at Joy?s friends? houses. The girls had me dress a girl every time, never letting me be a boy. When one of the girls had her period they kicked me out and made me go home. When I entered I found Grandpa in bed with one of Joy?s friends having sex. They were going at it until Grandpa saw me and chased me out. The girl ran home and claimed that I had done it with her, but Joy?s friends told her parents that I was with them until an hour before and that she wasn?t at the sleepover. When her parents talked with police it fell apart. She got caught in a lie as she was supposed to be at the same sleepover that I got kicked out of and couldn?t explain why she was at our house. Doctors took DNA from her and Grandpa and I had to have blood drawn since I couldn?t make semen and didn?t have hair down there." Roy put things together but held off saying something. Jace saw the understanding and told him, "I had to talk with police for hours until DCF said I had to leave. We went back home and Grandpa told us we weren?t going anywhere anymore. We were only allowed to go to school and home, if we tried to go to Megan?s house he beat us. Megan?s father tried to get us removed after he saw marks on me but he had nobody believing him. He tried to get his friends to help but they never got back to him. DCF said that we were stuck with our grandparents because nobody wanted us and they couldn?t find dad?s family." Roy asked about that, Joy explained, "They never looked for Grandma Gabby or Grandpa Zeke. Both are upset that DCF ignored them, especially since they said our aunts were close friends with two of their top people. Our paternal family is big, but they are all down in Winnisimmet and only two of our aunt?s friends work up in the area so they weren?t told about us until Uncle Oscar found us." Roy got down to it and asked about that. Jace growled, "Joy asked about going to Megan?s house as she called her online. Grandma hit her, then went after me when I tried to protect her. Grandpa had to pull over and went after me, but was stopped by other cars. They tried to stop Grandpa from going after me so I couldn?t protect Joy. We were too scared to move. Uncle Oscar took us to the hospital to get us looked over then called DCF directly. When they found out who we were they took custody and got us to Grandma Gabby. We have been with our dad?s family ever since." Roy asked if they knew anything about their family?s history. Joy happily told him, "We were told a lot about them but it?s had to understand their past. They have a lot of jobs and a lot of money but they are a normal family like everyone else. Our aunts and uncles are married to different branches of the big family, a lot of them are adopted so we aren?t that different than some of our 2nd and 3rd- cousins. We?re Williams and Bollinger by blood, but we are also related to Penas, Finns, Petersons, Flynns, Pierces, and Hermans. Our aunt wants to adopt us as her children so we are Penas, we want to be part of them so we have Finns, Kings, Castillos, Porters, and Vincents as relatives." Roy tried to understand that and noticed overlap. Fiona had to intervene and told him, "It?s not incest, rather it?s relations through cousins. Their aunt is a Finn through marriage, their adoptive grandfather is a Finn through his maternal aunt by marriage. They are both part of the Williams family, one of the branches of the Bollinger family is also a Finn by birth and thus a Williams by blood. Her new mom, aunts, and uncles are both Bollingers by birth and adoption as well as Williams by adoption. The kids? birth father is not a Williams in any way as he was never adopted. And finally, their step-grandpa is also their great-uncle by blood making his initial claim to custody strongest alongside their aunt?s." Roy nodded in understanding, then asked about the change in custody so soon after the kinds finding their paternal family. Fiona spoke before Jace and Joy could, telling him, "Due to issues related to their relationship with Megan Bailey it was felt that they needed a permanent placement. Their aunt Jessie was the one who asked to take them in and adopt them as her own, with her husband agreeing. He had to step aside from his investigation into the interconnected incidents in both Byfiend and Endicott so is acting on his own behalf as the kids? prospective adoptive father. Given that he is the grandson of the Williams family, his own claim is valid even if not as strong as his wife?s direct and tertiary claims." Roy asked if the situation up in Endicott and Byfield was serious, Fiona nodded and boldly proclaimed, "It was serious enough for a federal and Supreme Judicial Court order of protection for Jace. He is the main material witness and the one person who can make or break the case. With him under control, the case would go away and multiple people would be free to cause damage in two towns." Roy wasn?t happy to hear that. Fiona sighed and apologized for them having to use his court to help a state investigation but it was in the kids? best interest to ensure that the had a loving home especially as multiple other children were impacted by it by association. Roy understood: the best interests of the kids came first and this time it just happened to mean other kids were helped indirectly. He asked about the name changes. Joy blushed and confessed that she didn?t like her name as a lot of the girls had it while Jace hated his due to his grandfather claiming that he wasn?t worthy of having it. He liked Jace while Joy told him, "I hated the name ?Courtney?. I like my middle name Joy. Nobody has called me ?Courtney? name in years and Megan said that it didn?t suit me. It might be my aunt?s name but I don?t like it. Boys think that I?m some bimbo slut because of it. Jace said his name sounded better and we all thought that it fit him, even if we added a ?y? and an extra ?e? when he became a girl for us." Roy asked her pointedly about Jace?s dressing. Joy looked down in shame and admitted, "We loved him as a girl and wanted him to enjoy being among us more often. He was great as a boy but when a girl he acted like us and dressed with us and didn?t react to seeing our privates. He was just one of us, just girls doing things that girls do to pass the time during sleepovers. He never tried to date us nor did he try to feel us up or have sex with us as our grandfather claimed. He simply did it because we asked him to do it and he liked being friends with the girls. Megan thought that he might be a girl inside but her mom is smarter than all of us and saw that he was just a nice boy who loved me and wanted me to be happy. He did it and we were proud of him being man enough to do it when all other boys weren?t." Jace blushed while Roy didn?t react. He was writing out an order and had his decision already. He had the kids stay behind, with court officers and a Deputy US Marshal standing guard over them. When he entered the courtroom he asked for each to state who they were, what their relationship was to the kids, and why they were there. Each of the branches of the Castillo arm of the family explained it as them being related to Reed and Jessie as well as the kids while the Bollingers got Roy to nod and give a sly grin as they stated that they were the paternal aunts and uncles as well as great-uncle and aunt of the kids. The Jameses had him scratching his head as they weren?t related at all so had little reason to be in the courtroom let alone involved, making Paul hate having to reveal things early on. He stood before Roy and proclaimed, "My wife and I are acting as advocates on behalf of Courtney and Ezekiel Williams. We were appointed by their paternal grandmother to oversee their affairs and to keep DCF from removing the children due to false accusations and police intervention. We were also asked to ensure that the children weren?t railroaded by police. We have also known the children the longest, it was our great-niece who was the one whose relationship with them caused what has happened to them to occur. We were the ones to seek DCF investigations into the children multiple times yet have not had any response from them regarding the children nor their well-being and as such were asked to act as the only parties who were able to gain their trust and not be influenced by outside parties." Roy asked for the DCF reports to which Oscar stepped forward and proclaimed, "We haven?t found any reports regarding action taken against Mr. And Mrs. Williams. At the request of the Deputy Attorney General, a search warrant was executed on emails owned by multiple DCF employees and revealed the true extent of the problem. The children?s issues were known to DCF but their familial ties to members of the Bollinger family caused them to refuse to remove them unless forced to by the regional director and office supervisor. Those two are closely tied to the Bollingers as well as the supervisor being one of the children?s distant relatives thus making action required. They were kept from notice until they were forced to reveal just what happened to them by those same people who were kept away from them and only after a chance encounter with myself on the side of the highway." Roy read the emails and grew angrier. He asked if the state was handling the issue to which Oscar told him, "It?s already being done. It was this investigation that caused the domino effect directly resulting in all of us being here today. The family is being used by others to mask their own criminal activities, you are unfortunately being made to cause shame and ridicule to the Attorney General and sitting Senator." Roy moved on to the Williams family and asked their relationship to the children. He shook his head as it was clear that only three were actually related to the children and they were the 3rd and 4th-cousins of the kids? mother making their claims almost nil. He was more upset at the fact that they had a few with them who had no connection at all and who likely had never met the kids before. Roy carefully worded his questions to them and asked them about their meeting of the children. When none of them had actually met the kids and who had not known them at all before that day Roy shook his head in disbelief. He wanted to summarily dismiss the claims, but had one more person to ask. Seeing the elderly man in the courtroom, he ask him what his relationship was to the children. The man moved forward, stood before Roy, then proclaimed, "I?m their maternal grandfather?s uncle. I have met the kids several times over the years as their grandfather was a tenant on my property. I can attest to the abuse against them by my nephew and niece and that DCF was notified a dozen times by me personally before what happened in Danvers. I don?t know what the hell happened to prevent them from taking the kids away and putting them with my nephew, but they sure as hell didn?t deserve to be stuck up in that hellhole. I hate not having the health to fight much, but my nephew deserves the children and as he?s their step-grandfather through his wife he among all of their maternal family has first say in custody." Victoria was caught by surprise. He saw her reaction and blurted out, "Yeah, you old coot. I know what I am doing. I ain?t my sister or brother. I sure as hell ain?t my nieces and nephews. Zeke there is the best in the family to care for the kids and the fact that he saw his daughter as being better for them makes it even better for them. Have your usual smart-ass remark, cousin, but I ain?t changing my mind." Victoria shook hear head and countered, "You snake, you know damn well I can?t say anything since the kids would be my great-grandkids. Your sister will be crapping bricks in hell knowing that you just gave me what I had never thought possible: my grandmother?s dying wish. You were always her favorite and knew just what to do to make her day even if it took 75 years to do so!" Roy let them go back and forth, it only helped things as Moe Lyon couldn?t say anything as he had no way to stop the old man from speaking especially as he was the one who brought him there to make the family upset and cause them to stumble. Ezekiel Williams just torpedoed the entire family and did so in a way that made him a pariah as well as hero: he told the truth and only the truth. Moe never expected it and couldn?t prepare any counter to what Ezekiel had said. Moe knew that he had to use his biggest card, Jace?s dressing as a girl, and hope that Roy would fall for his claims. Roy had been at the game longer than Moe had been a lawyer and knew the ploy inside and out and never let it be used, especially considering just who the Penas were and having known them and their family for years through multiple cases. He didn?t have to do much research on them, he?d encountered them too many times in the past and knew that they had done more for the transgender community in a day than the vast majority of organizations do in a decade. Moe went right at the Penas and Bollingers, claiming that they were unfit as they had allowed Jace to dress as a girl on multiple occasions and showed pictures to prove it. Roy laughed at that, then asked if he was submitting them as evidence and was he aware that they were illegally taken inside the family?s homes. Moe grew red at hearing that, with Roy seeing Reed and Willie growing outraged. Roy countered, "These are hereby confiscated and will be used against certain parties by the state. I?m in no mood to play games, I know exactly what you wanted me to do and I?m not going to do it. The fact that you haven?t done any research on the family shows that you thought that you could bully me or in a worse idea- extort me, making your claims laughable. Dressing as the opposite sex isn?t a crime, nor is encouraging a child who did so to do it in a safe environment and around accepting people. All of the parties on the children?s paternal side are well-versed in the law regarding gender variances and even so I don?t see any of that as anything but harmless fun by a bored child and if my hunch is right these are taking place due to other parties involved who are discretely not photographed." Looking at the images, Reed proclaimed, "The ones in the larger house were taken in Endicott at Ian and Sheila Bailey?s house. This is the same couple who were the ones who initiated a state investigation and who are the actual targets of the attacks on the kids. The reason for the dressing was that Jace there was upset over being there and had never been a boy in the presence of the Baileys. He dressed as a girl due to his sister?s friends and upon meeting the Baileys he continued dressing. They knew that he was a male and allowed him to dress as they didn?t want to upset him over them knowing." He paused then explained, "The second set was taken in my home from my neighbor?s yard. I know full well that they didn?t have permission as the owners would never allow it and would have alerted me to this fact. Regarding the reason for the dressing: it was due to the boy conveniently edited out who is the reason for the dressing. He is a longtime crossdresser and whose anxiety and fear caused Jace to dress as a girl for him alongside another two boys who were also conveniently edited out of the pictures." Roy asked how he knew that they were edited out, Jessie jumped in and happily told him, "The variation of the colors as well as the shadows on the floor. I was present for that whole event and was just out of frame to the right. I know the location of where the picture was taken as I have been friends with the daughter of the house?s owner since November of 2016 and Reed has lived next door to them his own adoption in November 2017. We know the entire block by sight including how many broken limbs on the trees and chips in the paint on the houses, it comes from 27 years of being friends with neighbors." Reed then added, "We know now that there was someone there and will gladly show the state evidence of someone illicitly photographing minors while trespassing on private property. The owners will be in contact with Mr. Lyon about his clients. The Baileys will also be in contact as this was clearly sparked by their son being at our home which caused the person to photograph Jace." Roy laughed and happily told Moe, "Nice try, Mr. Lyon, but you just gave the state more evidence. And I?ll happily tell the bar association about your attempts to use fabricated evidence against minors while trying to claim abuse when multiple medical and police officials were aware of the situation. And don?t try to claim that it is abuse, it isn?t. I have dealt with idiots trying to extort people for far too long, I can see extortion when it?s present and this is all that it its: extortion. Someone is extorting someone else and the key to it is likely one or both of the children here." Turning to Ezekiel Williams, Roy shook his head and proclaimed, "Mr. Williams, you have balls. You?re likely the only member of your family ever to stand up in court and tell the truth and go against others in your family that did so without it being part of a plea-bargain. I applaud you for trying to get the kids help. I understand why you weren?t able to do so, your one mistake was not going directly to someone who could actually do something about it: your nephew. He has the resources to do so, even if they are estranged from your family they would not hesitate to help the children. Stubbornness can be a pain, it prevented you from fully helping. But you did the right thing in the end, and it worked." He asked that the kids be brought into the courtroom. Jace and Joy saw Ezekiel and gripped Reed and Jessie tightly, which Roy needed to see. They didn?t speak, but the two comforted the kids. Roy asked them to stand forward then proclaimed, "This hearing wasn?t necessary. DCF had little to no actual involvement and why they weren?t involved is explained alongside why they never took action in the years before. I remember both of you now, I helped you when you were assaulted by your birth mother. This should have led to DCF seeking family for you but I now know why they didn?t do it. You were placed where you didn?t belong, with people who abused you for too long. As such, I am ordering you to be permanently placed in the care of Jessie and Reed Pena with the two of you adopted as their children. I am also ordering that your names be changed to your chosen names as everyone so far have used them instead of your legal names. I do hope that your aunt and grandfather aren?t upset by that, it was your choice and it is hard to argue against. Congratulations, Joy and Jace Pena." There were outcries from the various Williams family members. Ezekiel loudly shouted, "You have a lot of nerve crying foul. Those children are with their family, ones closer than any of us. Save the crying, I am not leaving any of you a penny and put it so that the children wouldn?t be used as a cash cow that is used to fund your lazy lifestyles. Those days are long over, I worked my ass off for 40 years and built a fortune for my family and am not going to let any of you destroy it. They are with their grandparents, their aunts, their uncles. None of you are as close to them biologically let alone emotionally. Those kids are with their family and are where they belong. Save all of the whining, they have every right to be in the care of their now mother and father while none of you have a right to them!" Roy asked what he meant. Ezekiel growled, "The real reason finally showed itself just now: my various cousins? kids? kids wanted the children for their inheritance, one that the kids had no idea about. My nephew is a weasel, he told them to set them off just in case something happened to him. He wanted to start a war in the family, but he didn?t factor in the one thing that?d destroy everything: his brother. He was the one I was going to leave everything to, and through him the kids would get it. Now that they are with their paternal family and under his direct care I?m making it officially known to their lawyers. They get it all and the rest get nothing. Zeke Bollinger can choose if the kids? aunts and uncles also inherit, that?s his choice as I don?t want to favor them over Zeke?s adopted kids. It?s all theirs, nothing to any other Williams except my disgust." Roy laughed and adjourned the court. It was done: the kids were legally the son and daughter of Jessie and Reed. They were Penas, alongside being Bollingers. The Williams family members, minus Ezekiel, left but were stopped by officers who escorted them off to the nearby Boston Police District 1 station to speak with officers about their actions for the past five years. They weren?t expecting this and tried to leave but were told that they were being detained at the request of the IRS and Attorney General?s Office for tax fraud. The jig was up, they knew that they had no way of beating the rap thanks to Reed ensuring that they wouldn?t be able to go free even though the family was technically related to him- he?d never allow it, and already recused himself from the case. Ezekiel tried to leave but Victoria walked over to him and confronted him. He looked her square in the eyes and boldly proclaimed, "I don?t care what you have to say to me, I don?t want to hear it. I did what I did to protect them and I was led astray by my nephew. I didn?t know that they were related to him, if I did I would have driven them to his house myself! Damn it, I tried! They kept their noses clean but I guess they kept it away from me so I didn?t see what was happening. If I had known that they had hurt the kids again I would have gone right for your nephew and begged him to help. I stupidly let pride get to me, I should have done that when I saw something wasn?t right with DCF. I doubt he could have had as much luck with them either, I thought that they were safe for the time being and would be left alone at 18 when they were chucked out. I?d never let them get hurt, I see that I was stupid to believe that." Victoria shook her head and countered, "My nephew isn?t the one who would have acted: his brother-in-law would have. He?s the commissioner of DCF and would have gotten direct action taken. You didn?t know, you probably don?t have a computer let alone a tablet! He?s the one they feared and why none of the complaints were acted on. He would have intervened. He would have ensured that they acted or the whole department would have been gutted with everyone interviewed by State Police. John knows that you mean well, but our pride can be a royal pain in the ass sometimes. He?ll likely say it?s us women, but you and your nephew there are the exceptions to the rule about us Williamses. Stubborn as a mule and tougher than a $2 steak, but hearts of gold and fiercely independent." Ezekiel tried to fight a laugh but gave in, his beloved Victoria was always able to make him feel like he was somebody special. He loved her, but he wasn?t in-love with her. She was her own person and was a force to be reckoned with even in her twilight years. Victoria left with him and her husband Jorge to talk in private at their apartment in Winnisimmet while the assembled group left for their cars. They didn?t get the chance to leave as immediately Reed and Paul James were inundated by media asking questions trying to get the scoop on why the Attorney General of the state and a Senator were at the courthouse and clearly being involved in something that was news worthy. None of them were happy with the invasion of privacy while Reed and Paul tried to figure out what to say and how to say it without revealing too much personal information. Alexandra stepped forward and grinned at the media. She told them that they would have a statement in a bit or a full press conference with the State Police and Deputy Attorney General in an hour but none was going to be said until then especially as it was a sensitive case that they weren?t going to violate the privacy of those affected by giving a statement right then and there. She had them, if they kept on at their badgering they?d lose the story as they would invoke the wrath of the state- so they?d wait, get it from the state, and try hard to gather information some other way before then. The kids were conveniently out of view while most of the family were able to elude the prying eyes of the reporters. The kids were driven home and were greeted by Ryan, Megan, and the rest of the teens as well as most of the younger kids. The duo had to hide their tears as the kids hugged and kissed them, it was touching that so many wanted to see them and let them know that they were cousins to them. Jace blushed as Wendy came over and kissed him on the lips. Gabriela giggled and kissed Carl, with an excited Henry happily walking away before he got kissed by the older girls in retaliation. It was sweet, the two girls staked their claims to the boys with the boys knowing to let them kiss them. Joy got hugged by Eli who happily let her move to be next to Mario, with both trying hard to find the right way to talk without sounding desperate. Eli shook his head and happily told his aunts that he was happy to be solo and wait for the right girl to come along. That only led to them telling him that he was his father?s son and was going to be a great husband some day. Victoria drove over in her car and asked Jace and Joy to come with her to the Finn home as it was for a special event. Eli tried to go along for support but was told that it was more for their grandparents than it was for the kids. He understood, taking Mario away while Wendy was told that Jace was alright. Jace and Joy entered to a group of adults that they didn?t know, but thankfully Jaimie, John, and Valerie were there making them calm themselves. They saw Ezekiel and were about to leave but Jessie told the duo to stay, it involved them and they needed to hear what was going to be said. They complied, it was going to upset all of the adults if they left and they didn?t want Mario to try to go after the adults. Sitting the duo down, Valerie happily told them, "You didn?t have the chance to meet any of us beyond John, Victoria, Jorge, and myself so this will be your formal introduction to your new aunts and uncles as well as their 2nd-cousins. All of them are related to you through their parents, who are related to your great-great-uncle through his cousins Victoria and Catherine." John took over and introduced his brood, telling them, "You?ve met Miles. He sends his regrets that he?s unable to meet you officially now that you are family but he has to deal with the mess in Boston. His wife is with their daughter trying to help her with her new apartment while their son is out at a camp in Maine for the summer. He knows about you and is probably going to take Henry off of your hands as it is clear that Wendy and Gabriela won?t let Carl and you go without attention from them." He turned to Jaimie and told him, "You know Jaimie and her kids. Her husband is working on a contract for the kids for the work they?ll do for Inferno Productions. It?ll be a few days before Denise asks you to give ideas for our shows, she knows you are too new to trust her but she still wants to talk with you." Valerie added, "She?s family to you through your grandma Kennedy. Her cousin is Denise?s mother, they are out filming a few scenes for Denise?s show that couldn?t wait due to the weather. They want you to be involved and not feel like you?re just family to them, they want you to be involved." John then began, "Sylvia and Mitch send their regards as well, he had to work out in Los Angeles for a week due to the Patriots having practices and a preseason game out there. Sylvia got dragged along as it was the first chance that they?ve had in a while to be alone now that their daughters are old enough to be entrusted to be alone. They actually aren?t but they can?t help but gloat about it. One is staying with Will and Claire and the other is staying with her friends the Perezes this week, which is why you haven?t had Joy out of your hair for long. Their son is staying with the Smiths as he didn?t want to be stuck with his two sisters. He loves them, but they?re too much to handle on his own." Claire and Will nodded at that, with both hugging the duo. John continued, "BJ and his wife Lucy, his twin Ophelia and her husband, both of their twin cousins and their spouses, and their sister Nichole King and her husband Joshua are in England for vacation with the wicked witch of Winnisimmet, my sister Karen. They are probably going to know about what?s going on from BJ?s sister Anne, whom you have met already. I know they don?t keep secrets and their cousin Elise won?t let anyone harm Anne so she?s already told them that you aren?t anything like those folks who were arrested earlier." He added, "My nephew Bryan and his wife Paige are Anne?s parents, my nephew-in-law Pete and his harpy Hannah are Elise?s parents. Excuse anything Hannah shrieks, she can?t help spouting off what?s on her mind when it comes to her no matter how inane or insulting. She has a keen interest in Jace: her goddaughter Clara is smitten with Ryan Bailey, even if she got off to a bad start she is struggling with liking him. Hannah had to vet both of you before she gaveh er blessing- not that it mattered to Clara." The next to be introduced were Melinda and Ethan Smith. That was followed by Nigel Smith Jr. John had a smirk and blurted out, "All of the Smiths are lords and ladies. Nichole?s husband is the only one not a lord, but she is still a lady. All but the Kings carry titles, Bryan is a viscount, Pete is a baron, Nigel is an earl, and Ethan is an earl a future marquess. Nichole might be in line for a title if things go right, she has done a lot for the transgender community in the UK and financed hundreds of educations for children in need making her likely to have a title granted to her by HRH William V shortly." John smirked and then introduced Iris and Sam Sylvester-York. Jace blushed as the ladies gave him big kisses while Joy got hugs. John growled, "They love making a scene. Thankfully they only do it to make a point, especially as their brothers would skin them alive if they upset you." He introduced Reyna and Rachel Sylvester causing Jace and Joy to look in shock as they recognized their names. John nodded and added, "Yes, it?s all true. They are two of our toughest law enforcers. It?s a huge boon for the state having them as Rachel is amazing in her abilities to find data while Reyna?s eyes can spot things that no other crime scene technician can. They also broke the mold on being moms as both work fulltime yet balance their schedules to be there for their kids. And yes, they have kids. By both, not through surrogates like Clara. And yes, girls can marry and impregnate girls. You just haven?t had the chance to meet the Stoners and their nephew- the one who proved that point most." Jace blushed deeply while Joy looked down in shame over her lustful thoughts. John happily told them, "Their brother isn?t here, he?s on the road working. He?s a delivery driver for Peterson Manufacturing, a job that seems boring but he likes the solitude and freedom. Plus he is highly respected among drivers as he doesn?t play union politics nor does he scam others out of better jobs." He apologized for his brother-in-law not being there, then introduced a woman who looked a lot like John but with breasts and a brighter face. John happily told them, "This is my sister Leslie. She?s the aunt to most of the kids in some way, she treats them all like nieces and nephews. She?s also the most like mom, so she has that nice streak that hides her frustration that never gets shown to anyone." John looked over at a young man and happily told the duo, "This young man is my son Logan. His wife Piper is probably with her parents and siblings, her siblings are the infamous Stoner triplets. She?s also not good with introductions as she is sensitive to others. She and Logan are archaeologists who have a lot of expertise in local history and helped solve several local historical mysteries, I?m glad that one of the kids could do what I could never do and went into history in some form." Two woman hugged the duo to which John explained, "These are Flora and Ella Finn-Nelson. You have met Flora?s sisters and brother, she?s why Fiona is so great with kids and their issues. Their kids are with their grandparents, they were simply visiting and got dragged here by Fiona and Scott. Don?t worry about Wendy?s reaction, she?d be upset if you didn?t met everyone and hear what we had to say." John moved on to a man who looked just like him. John smiled and told them, "JD is my biological son. He has my looks to Logan?s personality. He got stuck hearing how much he looked like me while Logan is stuck with how much he acts like me. JD?s wife is out with their children for a ?mommy and me? day with their three kids. It?d be impossible to get them away from you once they stuck their claws in you. I doubt you want to lose days this summer due to babysitting their sons." He turned to a woman and man who looked like they?d rather be somewhere else. John shook his head and told the duo, "This impatient brat is Daisy Peterson and her husband Matt Fisher. She doesn?t like to have her past rehashed, but this is something I won?t let her wiggle out of. Matt simply doesn?t like to be among us no matter how much we try to remind him that he?s family. He?s already filed for divorce from Daisy so he won?t be our problem anymore. He doesn?t know it yet, but he isn?t getting any of her money nor is he retaining the rights to anything that he has done with her since he didn?t do anything. I told him before to not fool around, but infidelity is serious in this family." Matt glared at him while John countered, "You didn?t really expect to file paperwork without any of us knowing, did you? She might be a billionaire, but she isn?t giving you a penny. Prenuptial agreements are made in good faith, you signed it and got slammed by it. Don?t bother trying to muddy her down on Broadway, she had a few folks who?re more than happy to stand by her and counter you- ones she has known for longer than she has known you. GCW Stage Productions has a contract ready for her today." Matt stormed out while Daisy hugged John for defending her. Ezekiel asked what the big deal was, it wasn?t normal behavior for them. John happily told him, "He manipulates her by subtle reminders of her father. She hates her father, Matt used that to get her to move away from us so he could use her money to finance his lifestyle. It didn?t work, and if not for the kids she would have divorced him a few years ago. He?s a leech, but now he lost everything to her. The kids will accept it, especially once his true feelings about them are known: he hates them, he hates all kids and never wanted them." Sighing, John held off the inevitable. He didn?t get the chance as a woman came into the room with the group laughing as she screamed, "Were you trying to keep me away or did you save the best for last?" John shot back, "I didn?t want to scare them away. He?s 92 and his health isn?t the best, enduring you is something that even the strongest of people struggle with. I swear you Williams women do whatever it takes to upset me, you have been nothing but trouble to me since the day you were born!" John sighed and told Ezekiel and the duo, "This monster is my youngest, Catherine Melanie Finn. She?s the evil twin to JD?s good. She?s the one who makes my hair turn grayer and grayer every day. She?s the one person who can make you tell the truth and do so on your own as she can?t help but make you see that it?s safe to tell the truth than to lie to her. She is brutally honest and has no filter whatsoever. If you upset her, it?s safer moving to rural Siberia as she?ll make your life a living hell." Cat Finn gave the twins big hugs while Ezekiel shook his head and grumbled, "God damn it Vicky: she just had to take after you! Same smiling face, same curvy body, same sweet personality, same big mouth! Hell, all that?s missing is a husband who can control her without making it seem like he?s the one who?s in control. I just hope whomever is married to her wasn?t hurt too badly by her." Everyone laughed to which John added, "Nailed her perfectly: she?s Aunt Victoria alright, but with her mother?s hair and sparkling eyes. And her husband definitely is able to do all of that and more: he?s one of the few to get her to calm down and focus. He?s also the grandson of your brother?s biggest enemy- the man who cost him his front teeth and gave him a broken jaw. The infamous ?gangbanger? was really a Green Beret who was friends with dad and his friends. He?s the only person who ever caused your sister to back away for more than a minute, she genuinely feared them. And he would have ended her reign of terror if not for their pledge not to kill someone." Ezekiel couldn?t help but smile and add, "So that makes his brother your son-in-law too. Fitting, the man deserved to be part of your family. Did he have a child of his own?" John happily told him, "Two. His eldest and his youngest are his by surrogate, his middle two are related to my daughter through her half- brother." Ezekiel got up to go, he had everything that he needed and was happy to know that the family lived on through the one branch that nobody cared for except him. Marcus and Hannah Williams had the best of the family and he was proud that John Finn would carry on the family legacy after Ezekiel passed on. It was perfect in his eyes, the people who wanted for decades to harm John?s family were the actual ones to destroy their family while the ostracized ones were the ones who were the ones to be proud of. He drove home and called the number handed to him by Victoria. He spoke to the woman and had all of the information ready, with the woman driving north to meet him regarding his will. He was sure it was planned but he was happy to know that his beloved Vicky was thinking of his future. The woman entered and introduced herself as Savannah Stoner causing him to shake his head then gave a big laugh as he boldly proclaimed, "Mother to Piper Finn, Vicky knew what I?d do and had it ready to go so that I got things settled as soon as possible." She acknowledged that then added, "She cares about you despite decades of being estranged. She?s not a beast, just a pain in the neck with the kids. She wanted you to pass on without a huge fight over what?s left behind. We?ve seen it before and it?s never good, getting it on paper is most important." He nodded then proclaimed, "Everything to the heirs of Hannah and Marcus Williams as well as Zeke Bollinger. I believe that?s five shares total." She corrected him, "Three from Catherine, three from Victoria, seven total. Eight if you consider Roland to be a full share, but knowing Daisy and Claire they will want it split among the rest of their cousins minus the Petersons. It?ll get split further once Jaimie, John, Ella, and Logan put theirs aside for all of the others. It?ll take a few days to split it evenly, but everyone is benefiting at their request. The ones to not benefit are those who have more money than they would ever spend in three lifetimes, including my own daughter and the Samuels family. Before you ask, my daughter earned hers through patents on a major design while the Samuels family inherited through the Heath family by way of Austin Woods whom I?m sure you heard of- Jaimie?s and Cat?s grandfather-in-law." Ezekiel nodded and was happy to know that it was both fitting and karmic justice for what his brother and cousins had done back then. That alone gave him solace, his family was avenged through the work of someone who was trying to be a better person and who had already done more in his short time on Earth than everyone from his side of the family had done in a century. He love it. Savannah added, "Austin?s colleague actually had more interaction with the family. He was neighbor to the Finns for two and a half years before he learned that his own niece lived two houses down. She is an amazing woman, with her uncle and cousins happy that she made a strong life for herself before she found out the truth. Her uncle had a son and adopted an adult woman giving him family that he needed and through him they have helped create a whole unique and happy family. His son is William Kelly, a longtime columnist for the Herald and frequently on TV discussing local news stories. His daughter is the mother of Francesca Bollinger, the actress. She?s also the mother of Denise and Benny Herman, the comic actor and actress who is starring in the hottest teen drama on TV. He didn?t get to see Denise but she has tried hard to live up to his legacy and make him proud." Ezekiel sensed a reason for being told all of that. Savannah sighed and told him, "You needed to know a lot more than what the others told you. He respected you, even if he never admit the truth to anyone. You were just like him, only you did what he couldn?t do: get involved with your family. Even if you?re nothing like them and kept your distance from what they did, you were still there and they couldn?t do anything to stop you from kicking them off of your land or removing them from the family trust. He had one regret in life: never trying to contact his siblings, with his sister being his biggest regret. You?re stronger than he was, even if he was a Green Beret, doctor, and surrogate father to all of us." Roland and Savannah watched the press conference, with him asking the true reason for what had been going on. Savannah had no idea, with her only telling him, "Miles, David, and Oscar are involved. Reed is indirectly involved as he?s related to the kids through Jessie and now as their father, but the rest they kept to themselves for strong reasons: they don?t want to tip anyone off about the case. Reed?s deputy is a great woman whom we have strong respect for and took over control at Reed?s request so the inquiry is being done by the books and everyone who acted against it are getting slammed hard." They watched as Reed, Paul, Patricia Parker, Miles, David, Oscar, and several men and women in suits came to the podium and started the press conference. Patricia stepped forward and proclaimed, "We are here to announce that the Commonwealth has been conducting an operation in Essex County involving multiple public and private individuals, a dozen members of the Massachusetts State Police, the district attorney for the Eastern District, multiple assistant district attorneys, teachers and principals in both the towns of Endicott and Byfield,, public contractors in multiple towns, members of the Salem DCF office, and local police officers. We have arrested upwards of 100 individuals for their roles in multiple attempted kidnappings against a witness to sexual assault, covering-up said sexual assault, criminally harassing witnesses to a major cover-up involving multiple individuals, extortion, tax fraud, theft of public services, graft, and a host of serious offenses. Those are just the state charges, the US Marshals Service have assisted in the case and have also brought federal racketeering, extortion, attempted kidnapping across state lines, tax fraud, mail fraud, and other charges against the same individuals." She stepped back to which Paul took the podium. He looked over the reporters and proclaimed, "I am at the heart of much of the crimes, both direct and indirect. My clients are the ones who were targeted by a cabal of individuals who wanted to create a mini state within our state where the residents could do as they pleased without police intervention and force those who lived in this state to pay for the right to be there or else face eviction through the loss of their home by forced sale to the legal town. Endicott and Byfield were the largest tracts of land under the cabal?s control, they held land in Hamilton, Wenham, Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury. The children at the center of all of the issues accidentally uncovered this plot by becoming involved with the children of the cabal and in doing so accidentally got my family involved as they were friends with us for years. We helped the kids until a sexual assault by one of the key figures was witnessed by his grandson forcing action and a reaction by the grandfather. His paranoia and abuse by his wife were witnessed by a state trooper who got the children help from members of their paternal family accidentally bringing Mr. Reed Pena, their paternal uncle, and Mr. Miles Finn, brother of their paternal uncle, onto the case. Mr. Pena chose to let the deputy Attorney General oversee things as he was unable to help the children as well as prosecute the cabal. Mr. Pena was asked by DCF to house the children with the blessing of the children?s paternal aunts, uncles, and grandmother. He and his wife fell in love with the children and asked if the children would like to be adopted, with the children agreeing to it. This morning there was a challenge regarding the Penas? ability to house the children which went in Mr. And Mrs. Pena?s favor. This challenge was, in large part, funded by the same cabal trying to get at the children to force them to claim that they did not witness a sexual assault. The majority of witnesses against the Penas were, in fact, paid by the cabal and known through the State Police investigation so upon speaking as to their relationship and reasons for being there they were removed by the judge and placed under arrest for multiple criminal charges. I acted in this same hearing as advocates for the children at the request of my niece and nephew and had little actual involvement in the criminal investigation beyond verifying some of the information about the children from the past three years. Mr. Pena?s uncle acted as counsel for the Penas and had little to no need for myself or my wife to intercede yet asked for our assistance as we were trusted by the kids." Patricia Parker took over for Paul and proclaimed, "There will be the usual claims of abusing his power to go after those whom he doesn?t like, but Reed Pena did as our rules require and recused himself from the investigation. Much of the investigation actually occurred due to actions taken to kidnap one of the kids and in doing so caused the immediate action by our colleagues in the US Marshals Service and the FBI. The federal investigation only strengthened when an attempt was made to kidnap one of the kids in New Hampshire, just over the border from Massachusetts and unknown to the troopers who were in on the kidnap plot. The case is going to result in the gutting of two State Police barracks with many of the troopers reassigned or terminated for their actions. The problem is only at the trooper level, none of the sergeants, lieutenants, captains, or the area major were part of the plot and were kept away due to a close relationship with multiple relatives of the two targeted children." The reporters tried to get more information and names out of the group but nothing else came. Ezekiel did his best not to ask questions, but Savannah boldly told him, "You were the one person who was kept away from everything as you would have blown the whole plan. Your land is the most valuable land in the entire region as it is centrally located and ripe for housing development. Your nephew knew this, it is most likely why he stayed living in that trailer for so long: he wanted to lay claim to it more than any other relative. Your money might go to others, but the land would be his in his eyes." Ezekiel laughed and countered, "I had no intention of ever leaving them anything. I?d have given it to my nephew Zeke and told everyone to screw themselves. Now that you told me, I?m glad that he will get it and more. They disgraced themselves, I?m proud of him and John and the rest of them." Savannah filed the will, with her telling him that he was more man than any member of his family. Ezekiel countered, "That isn?t true at all. Zeke and John are. Reed is. Willie Pena is. Ricardo Vincent is. Those folks are the best of the family and I am proud to have known them." She didn?t dwell on it as he left. Ezekiel went home and went to bed after a small solo dinner. He was happy for the first time in years, he lived to see the family redeemed even if the name died. The fervor of the fact that two kids were constantly targeted by members of the State Police and that it had bled over into the courts lasted several weeks, with the family all but holed-up in Winnisimmet. It wasn?t safe to go to Boston nor Kensington so they were left to enjoy walks around the city and visits to each other?s homes. Thankfully for Joy and Jace there were pools at the Ross and Gibson homes so the two got to swim with the twins and John?s daughter Sylvia. The Gibsons were happy to act like aunt and uncle to the duo, especially as their daughters got to help a girl start to shine as her own. Jace wisely let them get it out of their system and endured hours of Joy and the mischievous Jane Gibson putting makeup on him. Mitch Gibson didn?t say anything, he helped to clean his face and told him that they were probably doing him a favor as he?d need to learn how to do it himself if he was going to enjoy time as a girl. Jane?s sister Jae enjoyed helping them choose clothes and complained that their aunts wouldn?t let them wear any of the stuff from the major department stores like their friends. Joy asked why, to which Jae complained, "They don?t want us wearing anyone else?s designs! They said we can do better, especially as we get them for free as they use us to gauge design ideas. The ones in the stores aren?t good quality anyway, but our friends still complain that they can?t find clothes like ours without spending money!" Carl and Henry never said anything about Jace ending up in makeup or modeling for the girls. Seeing a happy Joy made their jokes disappear, especially as their sister Heather had done the same with them in the past and wouldn?t hesitate to do the same if they said anything about it. Heather liked Jace, she had a strong feeling that he was going to be someone special if he set his mind to it. Ryan was over every day and always at Henry?s side. When he wasn?t, he was with Clara in Boston at her home and enjoying the benefits of knowing a famous singer/music producer. Jace was like another cousin to Clara?s brothers, especially as he treated them like they were like him and not little kids. Ryan was the same, but being their sister?s boyfriend in all but name made him different to them. Clara?s little sister Aubrey took to Ryan and was happy to tell him that he was her sister?s boyfriend and wouldn?t be anything but that to Clara. The little girl was being cute but he understood the meaning even if she didn?t: they were a couple and Clara liked him a lot. Clara kissed him goodbye each time he left, with Anita happily driving him home and telling Sheila how much Clara enjoyed his visit. The weeks also saw Willie?s formal retirement party and Ian preparing to take control. Ian worked with the Perez twins and the few he could trust among the brass to make subtle changes that would work for the better while showing the ones who would be problems that they weren?t going to let them force the issue nor would they have any say in how the department was run. It was Ian?s department, not theirs. He wasn?t going to let them destroy it just to take control for themselves, they weren?t going to have any power and would be minimized to the point that they had overnights and school security postings. The official retirement party was a gala for the family as everyone attended. Ezekiel was dragged along to meet the ones whom he hadn?t met as well as the various other wings of the family: Peterson, Perez, James, Nelson, Lopez, Douglas, Samuels etc. Meeting three pro athletes gave him a laugh as he knew that they were the ones that would have been targeted by his family next once Jace was removed from Zeke?s care at the start of the whole drama as they were too juicy of a target to not go after. Knowing that many of them were closely related to John through his kids and that they were all directly affected by John?s being so different than them would have made the Williams family do whatever it took to get at them and either bring them down financially or ensure they were ostracized by the community. Ezekiel appreciated that many were involved in law enforcement, especially as it wasn?t just one set of people: it was multiple generations. Looking at the youngest kids, he could see that the next generation were considering careers and it was clear that a few would carry on their legacy in some way. Being the parents that they were, it was the kids? choice as to what to do and not what was expected of them. Ezekiel enjoyed watching the official changeover at midnight, with Willie tearfully signing off over the radio and a second later Ian signed off making it clear that Ian was in charge now and Willie wasn?t the one to go to. It was also the only time the family let the media in on a family event, with Willie and Ian embracing as Willie took off his coat and handed Ian the stars pinned to the epaulets to put on his own coat. Sheila happily pinned them on Ian?s own epaulets then his collar, showing that he was now the chief and Willie was finally retired from the force. No mention was made of the crowd of people watching the event, with Ezekiel being among those on camera who clapped as the whole event unfurled in front of him. Reed, Jessie, and the kids were kept out of sight but Ryan, Megan, Deborah, and Wyatt were forced to be front and center beside Ian as their mother pinned the stars on Ian then hugged him once she had hugged him. Willie himself hugged his own grandchildren, but did so out of frame as the cameras were focused solely on the Baileys. The buildup to school caused the kids a lot of anxiety to the point that Jace and Joy were at each others? throats. Jessie remembered her own anxiety and happily told them to get ready for the biggest event in their young lives: their first dates. Reed understood and happily told them that they deserved some fun even if they weren?t ready for more than a quadruple-date with Ryan and Gabriela joining them for the dinner and movie. Jessie made all of the arrangements and dealt with the upset Pierre while Reed had to endure Scott trying hard to talk him out of allowing Scott?s baby girl to date so young. Their grandmothers were laughing hard over the fathers trying hard to keep their daughters from being so mature, especially Scott and Pierre. Sheila was in tears as Ryan didn?t ask anything about the dates and let the mothers plan everything while Carl?s mother Kelly fought her own tears over her best friend having her daughter date Kelly?s son with both fulfilling a lifelong pledge to get their kids together. Ian was lucky to be saved from the date planning as he was busy at work, but he sent his orders to Ryan to not do anything that would upset Pierre which to Ryan meant, "No boob touching" or worse. The girls spent two days preparing while the boys simply let their mothers and sisters choose all of the clothes that they?d wear as well as the style of their hair for that night. The girls went all out and got a makeover the day before, with poor Ryan being kicked out of the house by Megan so he didn?t see how Clara looked with her new look. The boys simply went over to the Ross home to be away from all of it and endured Kelly happily teasing her elder son about becoming a man now while Henry laughed hard. Tales of their own first dates caused the boys to listen to Kelly recall Jessie and her while gushing over how only one of the girls that night found her true love: their best friend Rebecca Samuels. Jace asked if she was related to Jaimie, getting a laugh and quick, "Two ways: she?s Jaimie?s cousin through their mothers and through their husbands being brothers. She always had her eye on Thomas, even though she only knew him a short time before we started to become friends." Nick Ross shook his head at his wife?s trip down memory lane. The two hated that their daughter was unlikely to be like her brother and find love with one of her mother?s friends? kids, but it was still nice to see her realizing a childhood dream come true. Henry was happy to just be himself and let Carl do his own thing, which included dating someone so young and new to him. The boys slept soundly that night once the anxiety overtook them. Kelly looked on lovingly at her son and shed a tear over time passing by. Gabriela was a sweet young woman and Carl was his father?s son, they would make a great couple and possibly one day make beautiful babies together. Their dates were at night but first thing in the morning Kelly told them that Jace had to go see Denise Herman about some things. The boys laughed and all but pushed Ryan and Jace out. The two had to be told that they weren?t in trouble, it was actually a great thing to have happen. Ryan didn?t see what the big deal was but Henry happily told him, "She wants to meet you. She loves talking with us to get ideas for the show. If she starts asking what you think about plots, that means you?re going to be on the show as one of the kids. We?ve all done it, she trusts us to make things go right especially now that we?re old enough to be part of the cast. We?re all going to be on it as kids who go to the school, mom even got to play their vice principal a couple of times. Dad hates acting but did a couple of episodes as the gym teacher, Gruncle Zeke laughed as he got stuck as baseball coach instead! The two couldn?t live it down, dad said he didn?t do as well as Gruncle Zeke did. Dad?s teammates had a lot of fun over it, it got a lot of ratings because people wanted to see dad act like someone else." In the car, Kelly explained, "She really does want your ideas. The kids have helped a lot with the show, I know that your parents have done a few things for the show behind the scenes to keep it running but it?s a fun time. I?m not that good with ideas but did well enough with the kids to be trusted to act in two of the episodes dealing with kids being bullied by family members. It hit home with me, especially since it?s based on Rachel?s and Iris? families and done in a way that hid a lot of the worst stuff but hinted that it could have been worse. Nick got stuck doing some lines as the gym teacher simply due to Uncle Zeke being busy that day while Nick was free. It was funny that their roles were reversed!" The two asked if they had to act, Kelly shook her head and told them, "No. It?s only if you want to. If it?s not what you want to do, you don?t have to do it. Anne and Liv both outright declined to act on the show. Megan did it once and didn?t like waiting around for a long time between her scenes. Wendy did it last year but chose not to continue on, but did give Denise some ideas for why her character wouldn?t be back. She?d happily come back if you had an idea for her that involved the two of you." Jace blushed while Ryan looked away in shame. He knew that he might be used as a storyline and was unsure if it was a good thing or not. Kelly sensed his feelings and nodded to him, telling him, "She has a good idea that she wants to run by you. Your situation is interesting, especially as it could work into the storyline involving Wendy. I think the trio of you would actually make a good storyline especially with Wendy?s character being like her in real life and your actions being worthy of a storyline." He mumbled, "I don?t want people angry at me. I don?t want people making fun of me. I don?t want to be the center of attention anymore. I did something wrong, I don?t want to do it again." Kelly laughed and boldly told him, "What you did was because of others, and that?ll be clear. Scott had a tougher situation than you and everyone rallied around him. Your situation was more complex and you had a genuine fear of losing everything and everyone if your secret got out. It makes for a great story, a boy who is good inside who has to act differently because he?ll be completely humiliated. But I think it might end up being turned around into what it was: you had true support, likely from Denise?s character and her girlfriend. Then there?s the boy who was just like you who redeemed himself by getting help- a continuation of a previous storyline but with it being more serious and including criminal actions. It?s a real life story, she loves showcasing these and having real kids acting in real situations but toned down for viewers. She?ll see the story for what it is, she?s talented like that. I just wish that she didn?t have an even worse story that she can?t tell, but be glad you never lived her horror." She gave him a segue so she told the story of Denise from when she first met the family to being found to be the biological daughter of Beth Herman to being harassed by an obsessed network executive who became a stalker to the truth of why he was obsessed with her: he wanted to her sexually. She told the boys all about Denise?s unexpected love life and how she got the Stoner triplets to date. She had them listening closely, never questioning the truth of it all as their own stories were so complex and yet true.