"With a degree in Forensic Sciences, Marcus A. Carter!" the announcer hollered.

The family cheered as Marcus walked across the stage, clad in his cap and gown, to receive his diploma. He had graduated with honors and was looking forward to life in Cleveland.

Marcus's mom, Nitra, sat with Stef and Lena and the family. She was staying at the house with them this week while graduation ceremonies and parties occurred.

Stef snaked her hand around the small of Lena's back. Their soon-to-be son-in-law had just graduated from college, was heading for medical school, and was making their daughter exceptionally happy. Lena held Katie in her arms as she looked longingly and lovingly into her wife's eyes. They had a court date this week to finally determine if they could adopt the kids. Everything seemed to be happening so fast.

Marcus ran across the lawn to the family, scooped Callie into his arms, and spun her around. Her belly was now visibly apparent to the family at roughly twenty weeks. Callie and Marcus were clearly living the highlights of life.

Stef and Lena turned to speak to Marcus when they saw him coming in the distance. "Babe, is that Kevin?" Lena asked. He ran with determination, as if something was wrong. The women joined hands and walked quickly to him.

"You're tough ladies to track down. I called a few times on your cell phones, I'm guessing they're off. Stef, I tried to find you at the precinct, Mike told me you were here." Kevin spoke quickly and was out of breath. "We have a problem, we need to get you two, Stephen, and Katie to the courthouse immediately." Stef turned to look at Callie and Marcus.

"Don't worry, Mom, go! We'll take the kids home and stay with them."

Marcus ushered Stephen and Katie over to the two women.

"Go, you two," Nitra said, "I'll make sure these kids get a fine supper tonight." Lena nodded as she held Katie in her arms and they ran for the car.

"I'll explain on the way," Kevin hollered as they got into Stef's car, Stef and Kevin in the front, Lena and the kids in the back. As Stef put the car into drive, a San Diego patrol car rolled up. "Mike rolled down the window, "I thought you might like a little help with clearing the streets!"

"Let's roll!" Stef shouted as they hit the gas.

"Kevin, what's this about?" Lena asked as they sped through the streets.

"Remember how I told you that the program Mr. Young was participating in had a very low success rate? Well, I got a phone call at 2am from one of my interns, we've been able to call an expert witness to assist us in our legal arguments."

"So why all the lights and sirens?"

Kevin turned in his seat to face Lena who sat behind Stef. "Because Judge Ellis said he would only hear the expert witness before the close of business today at 5pm. He's trying it as a tactic to drag out Mr. Young's rights. It took me six and a half hours to get here with police escort from San Diego, and that was after I stopped at the precinct at 2:30 this morning. It's already 10:30, which means we have six hours to make it back by 4:30 when they stop reading new cases."

"So why not just forego the expert witness in favor of our original court date?"

"Because we're playing a bit of the legal game ourselves. If we forego the expert witness, Judge Ellis could still deny you the privilege of going forward with the adoption proceedings until a later date. With the expert witness, it will legally terminate Mr. Young's parental rights and Judge Ellis's hand will be forced to make an adoption ruling today."

"So, Judge Ellis would have to decide today whether or not he'll allow us to adopt Stephen and Katie?" Lena asked.

"No," Kevin replied. "He'll have to rule on their adoption today. You'll be walking in as foster parents to Stephen and Katie and walking out their parents."

Stef's eyes caught Lena's in the rearview mirror. The adoption is going through today.

"Kevin," Stef began, "how are you so confident that this is all going to go this way?"

"Basically it related back to other previous court proceedings and precedents that are set. Furthermore, Judge Ellis is banking on you not making it back in time. Somehow, he found out where you were going to be today and anticipated that it would be very difficult if not impossible for you to get to court."

"Lena, Love, call Callie-"

"I'm all over it, Babe." Lena responded.

Kevin looked at the two women questioningly.

"Every time we've grown our family, our kids have been at the adoption proceedings. We aren't about to end that tradition now."

Kevin looked at his watch. "We've got a forty-five minute start on them, there's no way they'd make it in time-"

"Unless they fly," Lena said from the backseat with Callie on the phone.

"Love, we don't have that kind of money to buy Brandon, Jesus, Mariana, Callie, Jude, Marcus, and Nitra a plane ticket."

"We do," a voice from Lena's phone said. It was Marcus.

"Listen, I have the money to get us all up there. Brandon is already looking at flight schedules. You all need to be together, and I want to help make that happen."

"Marcus," Stef began, "That is a generous offer, but we really can't accept-"

"Am I marrying your daughter?" Marcus interrupted?

"What?" Stef asked.

"Am I marrying your daughter?" Marcus repeated.

"Yes," Stef replied.

"Then you will accept this from your son-in-law, because family helps each other out. You're being kind enough to help us with our wedding, which will be at your home. The amount we're saving right there more than pays for a group of plane tickets. Further, I love your daughter, and I want her to be there as her new brother and sister are officially and legally brought into the family. So yes, I will be buying plane tickets to get us all up there, and you will accept it."

Stef and Lena looked at each other through the mirror. "Okay," Stef said, "buy the tickets."

Lena hung up the phone.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

They drove as fast as they could to San Diego. With Mike paving the way as an escort, they encountered little problems. Katie and Stephen had both fallen asleep, Mike looked out his window as the land whizzed by, Stef stared intently out the windshield as she maneuvered them at high rates of speed, and Lena monitored Stef's face in the rearview mirror. They were now approximately half-way through their drive and would be needing to stop for gas soon. That gas, and the likely potty breaks they all needed, would make their schedule even more impossible to make. The kids were boarding their plane right now and only had about an hour and a half's flight to San Diego, they would be there before Stef and Lena. Why didn't they think to fly in that moment.

Stef called Mike on her cell, "Hey, we all need to stop for facility use and to gas up. What do you say about stopping up here in Bakersfield?"

"Yeah, we can do that," Mike replied, but it's got to be quick. We're going to be hitting the evening traffic on I-5S as we continue, so the quicker you can make this, the better."

Lena reached next to her and gently woke Stephen. "Buddy, we're going to be stopping very soon for a bathroom break, but we need it to be very fast. I need you to put your shoes on and get ready to roll."

Stephen nodded groggily before rubbing his eyes and locating his shoes. Lena reached over to Katie in her car seat. "Katie-bug," she whispered, "we're stopping soon to go to the bathroom okay. Mama will help you, you don't need to worry."

Within ten minutes they were at a gas station in Bakersfield. Lena helped the kids out of the car and took Katie to the women's room while Kevin took Stephen to the men's room. Stef and Mike gassed up the cars in silence, they merely stared at each other knowingly. They just had to make it back in time. Soon, the sounds of laughter erupted and Stephen and Katie came back to the car. They had some snacks with them. Stef looked up to see Lena and Kevin heading in their direction, Kevin had his arm around Lena's shoulders in a clear effort to reassure her. finished filling up the cruiser and went to use the facilities, but Stef's car had a larger tank and kept pulling in the fuel.

Lena got the kids buckled into the car and handed Stef a small bag of chips. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Stef replied, "but I'm exhausted. I just hope we make it in time." Lena caressed her wife's face, "me too," she said. She brought their lips together softly, they lingered there for one kiss, then two, then three. It didn't seem to matter that they were in the presence of their lawyer, Stef's ex-husband, or whoever else happened to wander by. These few small kisses were the only thing holding them together right now. The women wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug, lips resting in the crooks of their necks. The pump clicked, the car was finally full. The women pulled apart to allow Stef to return the pump handle to its rightful place. Mike walked around the corner, "we ready to go?"

"Not yet," Lena replied, Stef hasn't gotten to the bathroom yet."

"No, I'm fine," Stef hollered, "Let's go."
"You're sure?" Mike asked.
"I just want to get there in time," Stef replied. "Let's hit it."

With that, they entered the vehicles and resumed their journey.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"How much did the plane tickets cost?" Callie asked Marcus.

"They weren't too much at all," he replied.

"That's not what I asked," she said.

Marcus looked at Callie, "$1260 for all of us."

Callie looked at him, her eyes wide. "Babe, you don't, we don't have that kind of cash on hand."

"I know," Marcus said, "I used some of the funds from my settlement from my dad's death."

"Marcus, that money is supposed to be for the baby and our future."

"Callie, honey, don't worry, we'll be fine."

Callie looked at him surreptitiously. "What does that mean, 'we'll be fine'?" she asked.

"Callie, I have more than enough," he paused, "we have more than enough," he said, correcting himself, "money to cover it."

"How much money do 'we' have?" she asked?

"My dad died at work as the result of company negligence. So we sued them not only for medical bills but anguish and suffering, as well as for corporate negligence. In the end, we were awarded a sum of money which will keep you and me comfortable for a long time." Marcus pulled a piece of paper and pen from his pocket and wrote on it. "The top number," he began, "is what we were awarded. We've not touched the money except to invest it wisely, until now. The bottom number is the current amount thanks to investments and interest." He handed Callie the sheet.

$750,000

$1,250,000

"Marcus, you mean to tell me you have one point two-"

"No," he interjected, "we, you and me, have one point two million dollars. What's mine is yours, it always will be. We can afford to have as many children as we want, and we can afford to send all of them to college. And we can afford to give back in charitable ways with our time and our finances to programs and project which make a difference in this world. You and I, Callie, we can do wonderful things like make sure our parents are well cared for as they age, we can ensure that the world becomes a better place."

Marcus looked into Callie's eyes as he placed a hand upon her belly. "And after this week, you will be my wife." Callie brought a hand up to caress Marcus's face, "I love you. It doesn't matter to me if you're a pauper or rich, I love you for you. I'm so grateful that you were willing to help my family today, you don't know what it means to have us all there for Stephen and Katie's adoption."

Marcus smiled at Callie as he kissed her, first on the forehead and then on the lips.

"Ladies and Gentleman," the voice over the radio said, "we are now beginning our decent into San Diego. We thank you for flying with us non-stop today, and we hope your amenities were fitting. I, your Captain, Catherine Cawood, took great pleasure in piloting our vessel today. Your Attendant crew was lead by Jackie Crane, and she was assisted by the ever fearless Dante Lev and the impeccable Warren Schulte. We hope your flight with us was enjoyable, and we hope you'll choose CalBay airlines again. I'll now be alighting the fasten seat-belt sign, we ask that all passengers return to their seats as we begin our landing approach."

As they all exited the terminal, they wondered how they would get to the courthouse. Suddenly, the woop of a police siren caught their attention. Two cruisers approached where they stood.

"Brandon, we work with your dad and mom. Your Mama called us to come and get you all. Get in, we'll get you to the courthouse!" The group clamored into the two vehicles and they took off.

Marcus looked at his watch, "It's three o'clock," he said, "we're here in time, but will they make it?"

Callie looked at him and said, "If I know my Mom and Mama, they'll make it."

Nitra looked at Callie, "well dear, we're just going to say some prayers that they do indeed make it!"

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Mike and Stef pulled their cars up in front of the courthouse at 4:25.

"I'm going to run in with the paperwork," Kevin began, "get yourselves in there in the next five minutes, no matter what you have to do!" He hurriedly climbed from the car, slammed the door, and ran up the steps. Mike approached the driver's side door, "You go, I'll take care of the car." Stef turned as if to protest and Mike opened the door, "Go! This needs to happen now, Stefanie!"

Stef looked at him with gratitude in her eyes, "I just wanted to say thank you." Mike smiled and pulled his ex-wife into a hug. Pulling apart, he looked in her eyes, "Now go," he said softly.

Stef and Lena tumbled from the car and pulled the kids with them. As they ran up the stairs, Lena carrying Katie and Stef carrying Stephen, the doors of the courthouse popped open. "Hurry, Mama," Jesus said.

"It's room 312" Mariana said.

Marcus took Stephen from Stef's arms and charged up the stairs. "The elevator's slow, you have to come this way!" he hollered down.

Stef took Katie from Lena's arms and began running, Lena followed closely behind. Callie and Jude were already at the top of the stairs. Mariana and Jesus brought up the rear of their group. Stef started feeling winded as she made it past the second floor, but she knew she had to push on. They could hear Callie and Jude cheering for them, "Hurry, it's 4:28! You can do it! You're almost there, Mom! C'mon Mama!" Stef and Lena pushed on and made it to the third floor. They rounded the corner and ran down the hallway.

"Fifth door on the left!" Jesus shouted. "Fifth on the left!"

Marcus, Stef, and Lena burst into the courtroom.
"Your Honor, my clients are here!"

"I can see that, Mr. Oxford, but I'm afraid-"

"All due respect, your honor, it's 4:29, they have until 4:30. You said they had to be here by 4:30 to have you hear their case."

"Mr. Oxford, interrupt me again and I'll hold you in contempt."

"Fine, hold me in contempt, but you don't have a choice in this sir, you must hear their case today."

Before Judge Ellis could respond, a voice from the corner called loudly, "Docket 15483, Mrs. Stefanie Adams Foster and Mrs. Lena Adams Foster versus Mr. Robert Young regarding custody of and parental rights for children Stephen Bradley and Katie Bradley. Judge Ellis presiding."

They'd made it. The court officer had called their case. They had done it!

Judge Ellis looked irate. His face was red, his forehead had a vein that was pulsing, his hands were clenched in fists. He gave a loud sigh, "Fine, carry on! But I'm warning you, Mr. Oxford, one false move and I'll throw this entire case out."

"I understand, Your Honor," Kevin said. The case was under way. "Your Honor, I would like to call an expert witness, Dr. Josiah Craig. Dr. Craig is one of the leaders of the rehabilitation program that Mr. Young is participating in."

"Please take the stand," Judge Ellis said.

"Dr. Craig, is it true that you know Robert Young as an inmate participating in your alternatives to violence rehabilitation program?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, that is correct."

"And how would you qualify Mr. Young's participation in your program?"

"He does the bare minimum required of him. He does not seem eager to really better himself."

"Dr., how successful are people who complete your program?"

"We have a ninety percent success rate of parents regaining custodial access to their children."

"Yes," Kevin said, "I read that in a report. Let me rephrase the question. If you have two people in your program-"

"We have much more than two, sir!" Dr. Craig replied.

"Yes, sir, I understand that. But I'd ask that you follow me on my analogy. If you have two people in your program, one is putting forth effort and gladly participating in what is asked, even going so far to go above and beyond the minimum requirements, and the other individual does only what is essential, seems unwilling to really be there, which will have more success post- program?

"Well obviously, sir, the one who actively participates."

"Are you suggesting, Dr. Craig, that people who don't actively participate are at a higher potential risk of reoffending?"

"There is no direct conclusive evidence that lackadaisical individuals go on to reoffend. I merely suggest that we get out of an experience what we put into it. The non-lethargic participant will walk away with better resources for their future."

"Dr. Craig, what would you say if I told you your program had a fifteen percent success rate in program participants not reoffending and committing violent crimes?"

"I would say your evidence is wrong."

Kevin walked to his table and retrieved a file. "I submit for evidence packet 3981ATV, a listing of the three-thousand, nine hundred, eighty-one individuals who have gone through the specific Alternatives to Violence program taught by Dr. Craig at the same exact facility Mr. Young is currently housed in. Dr. Craig, will you please look at these files?" Kevin handed the folder to the doctor.

"Dr. Craig, do you recognize the names in this list?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you see the column to the far right?"

"Yes."

"That column tells us the current status of people your program professes to have successfully rehabilitated. Of the three-thousand, nine hundred, eighty-one individuals who have gone through the specific Alternatives to Violence program taught by you, only five-hundred, ninety-seven have successfully not reoffended as of the compilation of this list two days ago."

"I had no idea!" Dr. Craig exclaimed.

"I wish to remind you, doctor, that you are under oath. Did you know that three-thousand, three-hundred, eighty-four of your recipients went on to reoffend with violent crimes in some way?"

"No! I didn't know!"

Kevin returned to the table and picked up another folder.

"I submit for evidence file 3384-JC. This file contains the admittance sheets of each of the individuals who committed a violent crime after completing the violence rehabilitation program. I ask you, Dr. Craig, to look at the bottom right corner of these sheets and tell me whose signature is on them."

Dr. Craig looked at the sheets of paper. "Mine."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Craig, could you restate that clearly for the court stenographer?"

"My signature is on the papers."

"Yes, it is, isn't it. I have but a few more questions to ask you. Were you aware that participants in your program who match the demographic description of Mr. Young have a seventy-eight percent rate of progressing onto acts of a sexual nature with the children they are reconnected with?"

"I didn't know it was as high as seventy-eight percent, but I had an idea of some of it."

"Dr. Craig, why do you tout your program as a beacon of success when it clearly is not?"

"Look, my goal is to keep father's rights to their children at all costs. If we are to forgive people who have done their time for their crimes, we cannot continue to hold it against them."

"I beg to differ, sir. When the crimes impact innocent children, we can and will ensure the safety of those children above the rights of the father. When does the father's right to access trump the rights of the child to a safe, loving, and supportive home?"Kevin turned to Judge Ellis, "Your Honor, I believe I'm done with this witness."

"Dr. Craig," Judge Ellis began, "you may step down, but you may not leave. We have the matter of your perjury to discuss. Mr. Oxford, will you be calling anyone else to the stand tonight? Or, can I get home to my kids and the nanny who cares for them on evenings I'm stuck here?"

"If I may beg your indulgence, sir, I have but two more witnesses to call. Both will be brief."

Judge Ellis nodded, "Proceed."

"I'd like to call Stephen and Katie Bradley to the stand."

"Come forward, kids," Judge Ellis said with a smile. It was clear to those present that he did indeed have a soft spot for children.

Stephen and Katie came forward and sat side by side in the witness box.

"Stephen," Kevin began, "do you know those two women sitting over there?" he asked, gesturing to Stef and Lena.

"Yeah, their my moms," Stephen replied.

"Do you enjoy living with them?" Kevin asked.

"I've never had a better home except for when my mom was alive. Stef and Lena love us. They take care of us."

"Would you like to stay with them permanently?"

"As in forever? Yes. I want them to adopt me and Katie."

Kevin turned his attention to Katie. "Katie, do you like living with Stef and Lena?" Katie hid behind her brother and whispered into his ear. "She loves it," Stephen answered for her.

"I'm sorry," Judge Ellis began, "but the answers need to come from her in an audible fashion. I know you're scared Katie, but you need to try to be brave right now. Mr. Oxford, ask your questions."

Kevin nodded and turned to Katie once again. "Katie, I'm going to ask you two questions. If you can answer those two questions aloud, this will all be over. My first question is this; do you feel loved living with Stef and Lena? Do you feel safe and cared for?"

The room became silent. Lena grabbed Stef's hand tightly. Ten seconds of silence. Fifteen. Twenty. Judge Ellis began growing impatient. "Mr. Oxford, your witness seems incapable of-"

"Yes." Katie whispered.

"Let the record indicate my client answered yes to the first question. Okay, Katie, here's the last one. Do you want to be adopted and live with Stef and Lena forever?"

Katie looked around the room at everyone who was there. It was hard to be brave. She didn't like strangers, and she didn't like being the center of attention. Kevin looked at her expectantly. She looked at her moms, and her brothers and sisters. Stephen grabbed and squeezed her hand.

"Yes." Katie whispered.

"Please let the record show my client answered yes to the second question. Okay, Stephen and Katie, you can take your seats. Katie, you were very brave, I'm proud of you!" Kevin turned to Judge Ellis, "Your Honor, we rest our case and eagerly await your ruling."

"Well," Judge Ellis began, clearing his throat, "it is very clear, Mr. Oxford, that you did all of your homework, and in a very short amount of time might I add. Will the Mrs. Adams Fosters please rise?" Stef and Lena rose from their seat, holding hands, and looked expectantly at the judge.

"I want to commend you on your efforts today. It is very clear that you love these children very much and wish to do what is right by them. As I look at your beautiful five children, I can see that you are raising fine upstanding men and women who will be wonderful additions to society. Your ability to make it here from Berkeley today is a testament to your willingness to try everything to bring Stephen and Katie Bradley into your home legally..."

Stef and Lena looked at each other. Was this a consolation speech? His tone suggested he wasn't going to award the adoption today. The women looked at their two youngest children, Stephen and Katie, and hoped that they understood everything that they had tried.

"…I hereby grant full and legal adoption and custody of minors Stephen Bradley and Katie Bradley to Mrs. Stefanie Marie Adams Foster and Mrs. Lena Elizabeth Adams Foster, hereby severing any and all rights previously granted to a Mr. Robert Young. Will the children be taking your last names?"

The women were too stunned to even respond. Kevin answered, "Yes, Your Honor, Stephen Bradley will become Stephen Adams Foster, Katie Bradley will become Katie Adams Foster."

"May it be so warded." Judge Ellis banged his gavel.

The entire family erupted into shouts of joy. Stef and Lena hugged and kissed the newest Adams Fosters before handing them to their siblings and embracing each other.

Stef held Lena's face in her hands. "I love you, and I love our life, and I love our wonderful seven kids. We'll parent as many kids as you want, Love, as many as our hearts can hold."

Lena looked into Stef's eyes. She loved the way Stef looked when she smiled, when her joy caused wrinkles to form around her eyes. "I love you too, I think seven is enough for now. Maybe we could get a dog!" she said with a laugh. Stef pulled Lena in for a kiss, their lips coming together and their bodies pressing tightly together. Soon, Stef felt a tug on her belt loop. She broke the kiss and looked down to see Katie peering up at her. "Pick me up!" Katie hollered. Stef crouched and bundled the child in her arms before rising to her full height. Lena and Stef sandwiched the child between them in a hug.

"Who wants ice cream? My treat!" Kevin said loudly.

"I want you all to come and have your pictures, then go for ice cream," Judge Ellis said.

The family gathered for a picture around Judge Ellis and then left the courthouse. As they wandered down the steps, Stef realized she had no clue where Mike had put her car. Further, they had no way of getting all twelve of them out of here.

Soon Mike drove around in her car. "Congratulations and I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Stef replied.

"Congratulations on the adoption, I'm sorry you're going to have to purchase a nine-passenger vehicle," Mike said with a grin.

"Thanks. Hey, can you help us get over to the ice cream parlor on Euclid?"

"Absolutely. Whoever can't fit with you can come with me in my car."

"And I have space as well," Kevin offered.
Within ten minutes, the entire clan was over the Freeze's Point eating ice cream and celebrating.

Stef and Lena reveled in the sound of their voices and laughter. Pretty soon, Marcus and Callie approached them.

"So, we've been thinking…" Callie began.

"Oh dear, this can't be good," Stef replied dryly. Lena smacked her wife on the arm.

"Since our families are already here anyway, we were thinking about getting married this week while everyone was in town."

Stef and Lena stopped eating their frozen treats and looked at their daughter, their eyes growing large.

"Unless-"

"Yes!" both women exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

"Really?" Marcus asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes! Lena answered. Why not? We have all these people and help to do it. We could have a whole celebration week!"

Marcus laughed, "Okay, I'm down with that."

"You've got to announce it to the family," Stef said, pointing to Callie.

"Fine." Callie said. She turned to the group around her, "Family, Marcus and I are getting married this week. Okay, thanks."

"That was a cop-out. No one even heard you," Stef said.

"You said I had to announce. You never said they had to hear or comprehend."

"Oh, you are my daughter!" Stef said with a laugh.