Haven II Part 22

Disclaimer:

This story has sexual content, if this offends you,stop reading now. Sex is not the major topic of this story. If erotic stories are banned where you live, leave this site immediately before you are arrested (you were warned), or if you are deemed to be underage by your government and too young to read this then you should leave now (in either case go look up the names of these people and be sure to vote against them when you are old enough).

This story is fiction. That means I made it up. As the author I may make real life problems disappear with a sentence or two. If you think you recognize yourself or anyone you know it is pure chance, go by a lottery ticket this could be your lucky day.

There is also sexual child abuse in this story. It is not described in detail. It is in no way meant as a turn on but as an explanation and motivation, to the characters. The author is appalled by this type of behavior and in absolutely no way condones it. Where possible the guilty do suffer, one of the perks of fiction, the bad guys lose. Although this is posted in Adult – Youth do not expect hot sex.

I hope you enjoy. E-mail to str8mayb@gmail.com

Keep reading and enjoy.

Str8mayb

HAVEN II

Chapter 22

Adam was the first awake the next morning. He took his shower and put in a fresh new pair of contact lenses. He had just one pair left, after combing his hair; he went and turned on his laptop. "'Philip', I need more contact lenses." he said to the computer.

'Okay Adam, I will order them Tuesday morning.' the computer answered. 'By the way, everyone has checked out of the motel so they are on the way.'

"Great, I'll let everyone know at breakfast. They should be here for lunch then." Adam commented.

'Quite easily.'

"Thanks, 'Philip'." Adam said, then jerked the covers off his sleeping boyfriend.

Todd yelled, "Hey, it's cold!"

With a giggle Adam made a hasty retreat out of the room. Mrs. Johnson was in the dining room when Adam arrived. "Mrs. Johnson, 'Philip' says they will all be here for lunch."

"Oh my goodness, well, I think we will be ready. The staff has things all set up in the large kitchen. We have Hot Dogs and Pizza which would be best for lunch, do you suppose?"

"Since we have the party tonight, let's do the Pizza for dinner." Adam suggested.

"Thank you Adam, that's exactly what we shall do then. Are the rest getting up or are they sleeping in?" She asked.

"Well, Todd should be down soon, the rest were still sleeping." Adam replied.

"Alright then, I'll have breakfast ready in a few more minutes."

Adam hugged the cook, "Thanks Mrs. J. you're the best."

Mrs. Johnson patted Adam's back, then returned to the kitchen, wiping a tear from her eye.

By the time Todd showed up, Adam had already fixed two plates piled high with scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns and blueberry muffins. Todd sat down beside his boyfriend, "I shouldn't forgive you, you know. You kept me up last night with all those interesting activities and then you rudely woke me up early this morning."

"Well, excuuuusssssseeeeee me! You want me to cut out the activities?" Adam asked, then took a bite of the, hot from the oven, home made, blueberry muffin.

"Noooooooooo! Of course I don't. But a little more sleep would have been nice." Todd grumbled.

"Well there are lots of things that need to get done. I remembered that we need to set up a room on this floor, over in the other wing for Mitch, Travis and their new brother. He's in a wheelchair, remember, so the stairs would be a major problem for him, and we don't want to put them over in the Phoenix wing; it's too far away," Adam explained.

By this time, all the kids and Ed and Alice too, had joined them at the table. "There is a room at the end of the hall that isn't being used. It is a fairly large room. We'll just need to find beds for it." Ed offered.

David said, "There is a huge bed up on the third floor."

"Yeah, it's a king-size. All three of them could sleep in it at once." Monty said.

"They'd like that," Moe added.

So after everyone finished breakfast, they went up and checked out the bed. It was the one that had been used by Uncle Philip, before he got the water bed. It took all of them to take it apart and then maneuver it down the two flights of stairs and into the new room.

The first thing they tried was getting the box springs into the small elevator. The elevator had been a half hearted second thought, and been installed in a shaft originally designed for use as a dumb waiter. The door opened into a small alcove and the elevator itself was big enough, just barely, for a wheelchair. It was, in fact, a real challenge to have anyone standing in the elevator, behind the chair. With much twisting and turning, they somehow managed to get the first half of the box springs into the tiny elevator, effectively pinning Monty into the corner behind it. The elevator door, however, wouldn't close and Monty found that he was stuck. Try as they might, they couldn't get the darn thing back out of there. There was quite a struggle for some time.

"If it goes in, it aught to come out," Patty commented to the giggles of the boys.

"Damn it, we should have used lube!" came Monty's muffled voice. That caused a work stoppage of several minutes, while everyone including Ed and Alice doubled over laughing.

Finally Monty and the box spring were freed and the box springs were carried down the stairs. The stairs between the third and second floor were steep, but they were able to carry the box springs down fairly easily. The Grand staircase was plenty big and there was no problem at all, yet.

The bed frame was next and since it came completely apart, it was pretty easy to do. They reassembled it, made sure that all the bolts were tightened properly, and then they placed the box springs on the frame. Ed, the boys and Patty went back up to get the mattress. Now this was a custom made mattress for Uncle Philip and was very firm and thick. It was huge and to say it was unwieldy would be a great understatement. It couldn't be folded and it was quite heavy. Ed managed to teach everyone a few 'French' words by the time they managed to get it to the second floor. As they got it to the Grand Stairway they lined it up and were taking a break. Just about then, Tym thought it would be fun to take a running jump onto the mattress. The 100% silk covering made the bottom of the mattress on the highly polished floor very slick. Tym's maneuver caused the mattress to slide forward, tilt downward and then slide all the way down the stairs. Tym screamed in delight as the mattress bounced him down to the foyer. Walter was right behind him barking all the way, then he pounced on the offending Mattress to save his boy.

When Tym got clear of Walter, he grinned, looked up at the group descending the stairs and said, "Hey, that was fun! Can we do it again?"

In unison and quite loudly, they all replied, "I DON'T THINK SO TYM!"

Laughing, they carried the mattress down to the room where Alice and Genny were waiting with the sheets. The rest returned to the second floor and retrieved the things that belonged to Mitch and Travis and brought them to the new room. There was even a bathroom across the hall complete with a large handicapped accessible shower stall.

Alice and Genny had just finished getting the bed made when the sound of a helicopter was heard. The kids rushed to the door, to see it land. The pilot set it down gently on the front lawn of the Manor. The kids were all waiting at the top of the stairs. Once the engines shut down and the rotors stopped, the doors opened and Daddy Doc stepped out, followed by Mitch and Travis pushing a wheelchair on which sat a very excited young boy.

Lou was laughing and looking all around. The kids rushed down the stairs and greeted their friends and Lou. Patty fell in love with the little guy on sight. She leaned down to hug him and he hugged her back, it seemed to her almost like she had found a long lost brother. He certainly didn't understand exactly what was happening, but he knew only good things had happened to him since Mitch and Travis had entered his life, and he was still having a great time.

Daddy Doc got hugs from all the boys as a big welcome home. The Pilot and Copilot were busy unloading the baggage compartment, which was mostly filled with boxes labeled, 'MEDICAL SUPPLIES' that he had been procured from the hospitals. He quickly organized the boys to carry it in to his office. As soon as everything was clear, they went and attached the ramp over the stairs and Doc and Ed helped to wheel the other two passengers off the helicopter. John was out cold and Becky was pleasantly high. She kept giggling like a school girl.

They wheeled them around the Manor, up the road and around back and in through the kitchen, so they didn't have to carry them up the stairs in the front of the manor.

They went to the elevator and they discovered that only one gurney at a time could go up to the third floor. When the doors opened and Leo pushed John into the hall he said, "That just didn't sound very safe."

'Indeed not, Doctor; I have a crew from Otis scheduled to come in here prepared to replace it, on Tuesday,' 'Philip' replied smugly.

"I absolutely hate to admit this but, I missed you, 'Philip'." Leo said.

'Likewise I'm sure, Doctor.'

Leo laughed as the noisy elevator arrived carrying Becky. At that point, Todd and Adam appeared out of the stairway, "We have their rooms all set up down here," Todd motioned and led the way.

In the room were two antique hospital beds. There were hand operated cranks to adjust them, instead of the more modern electric motors. Leo looked in wonder at them, "These things look like they are from the fifties. Where in the world did you find them?"

"There is a basement in this wing that has all kinds of old weird stuff in it." Adam informed Daddy Doc.

'Actually, they are surplus World War Two hospital beds. I was able to acquire them very inexpensively in late 1949.' The ever informative 'Philip' supplied, with what Daddy Doc was certain was a chuckle.

They got John and Becky into bed and wheeled the gurneys into an empty room nearby. The pilot asked, "Don't these things need to be returned to the hospital?"

Leo grinned, "No, I persuaded the hospital administration that I should be allowed to purchase them."

The pilot laughed, "You threatened to call the largest benefactor of the hospital and inform him not to donate any more?"

Leo grinned, "Yep, exactly, Only that time it really wasn't a bluff. Haven Enterprises donates a couple of Million to them every year."

The pilot laughed, "Remind me to never play poker with you, Doc."

After the helicopter left, Doc Leo went to start putting away the supplies he had acquired in Chicago. As Leo was putting the last of the supplies away, Shorty came in to talk to him. "Leo, we weren't sure where you were going to take the Gregorys so I had them fix up a suite for them. The room next door is ready to have any rehab equipment installed that you think is needed. Then there is a family room and then of course the Twins' room."

"Thanks Shorty, I figured Ole Santa would figure it out." Leo smiled at his friend.

"Ho, ho, ho. You're pretty smart for a kid that never believed in Santa." Shorty replied.

Leo got very serious, "Shorty, I'm Jewish, not stupid. I've seen some very interesting things, and well, let's just say I believe now."

Shorty gave Leo a big hug, "I didn't ever think you were stupid. Anybody who can make my great nephew happy is alright in my book. You both are on the Good List." Shorty winked and left.

Just before noon, 'Philip' announced that the bus was at the gate and everyone assembled to greet their returning brothers and new guests. Andy quickly took charge and had the kids who had stayed behind show the new kids to their new rooms. All the new boys were in awe of the place.

Neal commented to Brian, "Remember the first time you saw this place?"

"Yeah, I was scared shitless because I didn't know what was going on. I thought those bastards had sold me to some rich dude. I figured I was going to be treated like you had been. I sure am glad now that I didn't do what I thought about, on the bus." Brian remembered.

"Yeah, I'm glad you didn't either." Neal hugged his brother.

They followed the others into the Manor. "Hi, honey I'm home!" Neal said to his empty room.

'It has been a bit boring without you here, Neal.'

"I missed you too, 'Philip'."

Neal quickly unpacked and then headed to Lunch. The Banquet Hall looked almost deserted with only the Haven and Phoenix boys there. Mrs. Johnson was standing behind a serving line which the boys were quietly going through. They were amazed that they were allowed to fill their plates themselves. Most were taking two hot dogs, chips, potato salad, coleslaw and two cupcakes. There was a gallon of milk on each table and a bottle of chocolate syrup.

Tom sat across from Ed and Alice. It was very quiet. Jason amazed them when he stood and said grace, sort of. He had Neal, Brian and Travis blushing by the time he finished. Then the boys made their food disappear almost like magic.

When the food was gone, Andy stood, "Okay guys, listen up. We're going to take turns on what's called being Waiters. The person doing the job is to be here a half hour before meals and to stay after to clean up. Mrs. Johnson will tell you what to do. Now, since we will all be eating here, the Haven crew will take today, Squad One and Two, you have tomorrow, then Three and Four, then Five and Six then back to the Haven guys. Mitch and Travis, you guys go with Haven, and Danny and Donny; you go with Squad five and six."

Howie piped up, "What about me and Arty?"

Neal answered, "You're with us."

Andy smiled, "Okay, then that's settled. Now everyone takes their own plate, glass and silverware over to that window, dumps the trash and puts the other stuff in the window to be washed. Okay, Haven guys, go in the back and see Mrs. Johnson."

Soon Neal and Todd were at the window, ready to take the plates.

Andy then started dismissing the Squads, "Squad Six! Take your dishes to the washers!"

Soon, in an orderly fashion, the boys were all dismissed; the Adults were still sitting at their table. As Andy was getting ready to leave, Lee waved him over.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Son, you forgot two things."

"I did?"

"Yes you did. The adults. When do we do KP, and when do we get dismissed?" All the adults nodded agreement.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't think you all would want to have to work."

"Well, I suppose we don't want to work, but it is only fair." Tom looked at Andy, "You have things set up just like summer camp and I seem to remember the Adults helped out on the cooks' day off. We could cook and be waiters on Sundays when Mrs. Johnson is off."

"Way kewl, Mr. Richards, ah I mean, Uncle Tommy." Andy looked relieved at that solution.

"So, how long do we have to sit here?" Linda asked, grinning broadly.

"Mooooom! Okay, grownups dismissed." Andy said.

No one moved. Shorty said, "We've never grown up, we're just old kids."

Andy laughed at that, "How can I argue with Santa? Old kids, take your dishes to Neal and Todd and then you're dismissed."

Soon with all the help, the Banquet room was sparkling clean and the dishes were in the dishwashers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the Haven crew preparing for the New Year's Eve Party. The Phoenix crew, those seven years old or younger, were taking naps, so they could participate in the party, while the older boys were exploring their rooms and settling in. They discovered that this kid 'Philip' was on every computer and he could carry on an intelligent conversation from one computer to another. They were playing a game, trying to confuse 'Philip' and they couldn't. (The only ones who could, were Mitch and Travis and even they could only catch him about ten percent of the time.)

Mitch and Travis took Lou back to their room after lunch. Ginger and Max had been kept outside while everyone was getting settled. When the Banquet room was cleared and the kids were dismissed, Mrs. Johnson let the dogs in. Walter led the way to Tym's room at a run, and Max and Ginger followed and went to Mitch and Travis's old room, their scent was old, so the duo went back downstairs, caught the fresh scent and were off at a trot. The boys were startled when their door flew open and the two dogs bounded in to greet their boys.

Lou was at first terrified by the two creatures that came bounding into the room. But Mitch's and Travis's giggles as the dogs licked them set his mind at ease. Then Ginger left Mitch and approached the wheelchair. She put her paws on the seat and laid her head in Lou's lap. Lou slowly reached out and touched Ginger's head and Mitch showed him how to scratch her ears the way she liked. He giggled as she pushed her head further into his lap. It didn't take long and Max had his head over the arm rest to get his share of scratches. The dogs had instantly bonded with Lou.

Meanwhile, Tom was sitting in his office talking to Arty and Howie. "Okay, now, guys, I've checked into the Marine Corps records and from what we have been able to find, your father simply doesn't exist." Tom held up his hand to cut off their protest, "However, there are records of him in every unit he served in, and his medals sure are real. Your Dad is a Hero, but for some reason that we haven't figured out yet, it seems like someone is trying to hide him away. I haven't found any record of him since he was flown out of Afghanistan to Germany. We are trying our best to trace him from there. Believe me when I tell you that you have the assistance of some of the best intelligence operatives on the face of this planet working on it, as we speak. I have a lot of faith in 'Philip' and his associates, and If there is a chance of finding anything, you can bet that 'Philip' will unearth it."

'Tom, you need to see this, his boot camp picture.' the excited voice of 'Philip' said.

The picture of 'Philip' on the screen dissolved to a still picture that showed an eighteen year old recruit, that looked just like Tom had at eighteen, except for the dress USMC uniform. "Now I understand, Howie. I guess I do look like your Daddy." Tom hugged the boys and sent them on to find Neal and the others. "'Philip', you really do need to make this your top priority, Please, not just for them but for me too. I want to know who this guy is and just exactly what happened to him in Germany. This is just too darn weird."

'Yes, I'm working on it and I've got my cousin, 'James'©, checking with his contacts with Interpol, the U.K. and E.U.'

"Well, I thought you would get things moving, and I do want you to know that I really do appreciate it."

'All in a day's work, Sir', 'Philip' replied in that sarcastic British accent of his.

At five thirty, 'Philip' signaled the Haven crew to go to the Banquet Room, and for the little ones to wake up from their naps. At six o'clock the festivities began. Each table was served two large pizzas, and everyone's spirits were very high. The Phoenix boys were really wired from the events of the past few days and they were ready to PARTY! The pizzas disappeared in no time, and everybody waited for the waiters to clear the room.

When everyone was ready, Monty and Patty lead the way to the room next door, the Ball Room. When they opened the door, 'Philip' turned on the lights and music. The entire stage area was devoted to the enormous sound system. There were two huge mirror balls hanging and rotating from the ceiling. There were spotlights and strobe lights, and on one entire wall there was a projected image beamed live directly from Times Square in New York.

On another wall was a huge banner, 'HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007'. There were groupings of chairs around the room so smaller groups could sit and talk. Right inside the door were shelves with each Squad number and space for their shoes. Soon there were boys sliding all over the place in their stocking feet.

The adults stayed out of the way as much as possible and enjoyed the antics of the kids. Shorty got a gleam in his eye and ventured out to find Tym. Soon he had a group holding hands and moving around the floor. He was at one end and Tym was at the other. He told the kids that when he was a kid, they would do this when ice skating. He then did a whip and Tym was really being thrown around very fast. Walter was trying to catch him but was unable to, on the highly polished floor. The harder he tried to run, the more his feet slid and trying to use his nails only made it worse.

'Philip', seeing Walter franticly trying to run and making scratch marks on the floor, shut down the music system. 'Who let the dogs in? Just look at what that monster has done to my beautiful floor! I had to fire seventeen people before I found one who could properly polish a floor!'

With tears in his eyes Tym shouted back, "WALTER ISN'T A MONSTER!" Tym grabbed Walter and cried.

Shorty said loud enough for everyone in the place to hear, "Karlton Jameson Vencette, CHILL! I see death has not improved that grumpy disposition of yours one little bit. Now you apologize to Tym and Walter right this instant!"

'No one has called me that since you rescued me and gave me your life when I was twelve.'

Shorty rolled his eyes, "Don't go gettin' all sentimental. Just loosen up. We got more boys here than Carter's got Cod Liver Pills. Besides, if the worst happened, and they actually managed to scratch the floor, you could have a new one installed."

'Yes, Mother.'

The tension broken, the kids went back to having fun. Adam was disgusted when the next song was another Jitterbug. He made his way through the crowd onto the stage. He went to work removing wires and rewiring the entire sound system. After two Foxtrots, a Waltz and a Lindy, Adam was ready. He grinned gleefully as he unplugged one last wire and the music stopped then Adam sat at the keyboard, put on the headset and cued up his play-list. He un-muted the mic, "Alright people! Now let's PARTY!" With that, Adam began an evening of being the DJ and keeping the music coming. 'Philip' was unable to regain control of the sound system although he did try. Adam had done an excellent job of isolating the system.

About 9:00 a few adult guests arrived and joined the party. Fred Clemets came up to Tom smiling, "This looks like the best party in town."

"Yeah, especially since Adam took over. 'Philip' was running a great New Years party for 1937 not 2007, He was trying to do what he would have liked when he was 10." Tom answered.

"That would be a problem; Adam looks like he has it under control." Fred laughed. "I'll be over tomorrow; we have a lot to talk about. Oh, here is a little present from the School Board President's lawyer." Fred handed a subpoena to Tom.

Tom glanced at it and started to set it down then opened it and read it again. "Fred, she wants ALL the boys?" Tom indicated the room full of partying youth.

Fred was grinning, "That's what she asked for. I have a strategy planned out and we need to talk with Neal and Adam about it, but Shorty and I came up with it and I think it is absolutely beautiful."

"Well, if you and Shorty came up with it, I'm sure it will be interesting."

By 11:00 some of the little guys were fading and the adults carried them up to their rooms. When they were done, it was almost time for the big ball. The adults started opening the Sparkling Grape Juice and pouring glasses. The kids did the countdown and cheered when the 2007 was turned on. They hugged each other and then came and got a glass and toasted in the New Year. By 1:00, the Ball Room was empty and the manor was quiet.

'Philip was muttering, 'I suppose I can find that work crew to refinish the floor, and it did really feel good to see everyone so happy. I haven't felt this good since the day I died.'

Breakfast the next morning was quite interesting, as the squads filtered in. The boys were blurry eyed and Tom was thankful they weren't really drinking last night, because that many hangovers would not be at all pretty.

When everyone had finished eating, Tom stood and asked for everyone's attention. "Welcome to 2007, everyone. Now I know you all thought tomorrow would be the first day of school for you, but unfortunately it won't be."

There were, of course, cheers.

Tom grinned and waited for quiet. "You all have been subpoenaed to appear in court tomorrow morning at 9:00. Now, this is a move on the part of the School Board President to harass me and to try to get to Neal and Adam. We will explain all this later, but for right now, please check and make sure you have some nice looking clean clothes to wear tomorrow, if not, get them to your Squad leader to get then washed today. Now I need to see Neal and Lee up in my office in ten minutes, so please don't pester them for answers. Thanks, and again welcome to our home."

Ten minutes later in Tom's office, the strategy meeting began. Fred started, "Okay guys, we have charged Fastaff and Sooker with lying. The statement we are suing over is 'We all know children lie, and I have heard your boys are just lying little faggots, anyway.'"

Neal stiffened in his chair and Adam hung his head.

"Now first, Adam, I'd like you to look up at me. What ever you do, do not do that tomorrow. Do not show shame. Get mad like Neal. Now the defense is going to try to create doubt about you two. They are convinced that we are angry about the word 'faggot'."

"Aren't we?" Neal asked.

"The word yes, but they are planning to make a case that you are gay or might be." Fred explained.

"Jeez, We're eleven, what do we know about being gay? All we know is it feels good to play with our things. Jeez." Neal said.

"Exactly, and what we are really mad about is that in the face of the facts, the Principal and President of the School Board assumed you were lying." Fred said.

"Okay, so?" Adam asked.

"So they have spent all their time preparing to set you guys up as gay. I would like to go in and say MAYBE you are; we don't know, but will concede that point and proceed to the real issue, lying." Fred watched the boys especially Adam.

Adam took a deep breath, "Okay, I guess that means everyone will know I'm gay. But I am, so that is that. So let's get them."

Everyone grinned and they planned strategy for the next day in court until it was lunch time. After lunch, Adam stood and raised his hand to get everyone's attention. "There is something you all need to know and I want to be the one to tell you. Tomorrow we will be going to court and the bad guys are going to accuse Neal and me of being gay." There were a lot of comments, none of which were very complimentary to the other side. "Now, those of you who have just arrived may not know it, but I am gay but we really don't know about Neal. Even he doesn't know yet."

Brian couldn't resist, "There is a lot we don't know about Neal."

Everyone laughed at that, especially Neal, who stuck his tongue out at Brian.

Adam continued, "So anyway, we are going to admit that we could be gay but we are suing about being called liars."

Jason jumped up, "That's just wrong. No kid should have to tell about that stuff. What the fuck is wrong with those Ass Holes!"

Tom made eye contact with Jason.

"I'm sorry for the language, guys, but you know what I mean."

Fred stood, "The reason you were all subpoenaed was so the defense Attorney could question you and make Neal and Adam seem to be gay and therefore the statement was true. Our plan is to say that his use of the word 'faggot' may come under the hate crime laws, but the boys being gay or not is moot, and we will concede that point and move on to the boys being publicly accused of lying about the incident."

The older boys understood and they would explain it to the younger boys. Tomorrow was certainly going to be an interesting day in court.

That night, Adam was very restless and Todd finally turned on the light. "Adam, let's talk."

Adam squinted towards Todd, "Could we turn the light off, please, so it doesn't hurt my eyes?"

"Oh, sorry." Todd reached over and turned off the light. "So what is bothering you so much?"

"Well, If I come out tomorrow, that means that you will too..."

"Adam, love, I am out. Everyone here knows and so does almost everyone in the Home School Class and now all the Phoenix guys do too, so it's no big deal. With all of our brothers there we are pretty safe. Anybody that has a problem can just stay away. We're a couple now and this is fine with me. No problem, okay?"

Adam hugged Todd. "I love you."

"Yeah, me too. Now let's go to sleep, tomorrow will be a very big day."

Author's Notes:

'James' is copyrighted to the Crackerwriter in his story 'Love At First Bite' and is used with his permission. (He actually loves the idea and agreed instantly to allow the use of the 'James' technology)

Well it looks like everything is all set for the big trial. I hope Fred is right and that Merry Pason doesn't have any nasty little tricks up her puffy sleeve. What a welcome for the Phoenix boys. I don't imagine any of them have had a good court experience to date. I wonder if that might be about to change.

What is the story with Howie and Arty and when will I tell you? <Evil Laughter>

For what happened while everyone was away you need to read 'The Last Phoenix' on www.paddedroom.us. There may also be an additional chapter there as well.

Complain to the author.

Str8mayb

Editor's Notes: Hey man, I think the chapter is finished. Oh wait, of course it is finished, or I wouldn't be editing it, would I? Well, actually, I have been known to edit things before they are finished. I'm glad that Adam and Todd are on the same page and that they love each other enough to go through the embarrassment of being put on display. It is a very good thing that they have such a wonderfully supportive family and each other.

Personally, I strongly suspect that Merry Pason, unlike her spoonerized namesake will not triumph in this case. At least I have faith in Fred and all the boys. I don't think the woman has the slightest idea of what she has gotten herself into. I wish her luck, BAD LUCK!

I wonder how long it will be before 'Philip' gets a crew in to refinish the floor of his ballroom. I suspect that he will have a new floor installed that can be rolled in and out to allow rough treatment at times when kids or messy adults are involved. I thought it was kinda funny that he wasn't as upset as he was earlier about the treatment of his Ballroom. Maybe he is mellowing out. Actually, I don't think mellow is any kind of word to describe 'Philip'. He is ever watchful and determined to keep his family safe and secure. That is certainly a high priority for him.

What is going to happen with the new boys' daddy? Who is he and why does he look like a younger Tom?

Wasn't it cool how quickly Lou bonded with Ginger and Max. Not only did they like him instantly, he seemed to warm up to them pretty quickly too. All his fear melted away really quickly.

I am ready for the next chapter, and I hope all is well with that court case.

Now let me think, I think we can get it all wrapped up in five or six more chapters, after all, we can't let DarkStar have a longer court scene than we do, can we, I have a couple of flashback sequences to add in and then there is that dream sequence where they get captured by someone from another universe and are taken on a time ship.... Oh wait, that's a different story...

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Fort Chief Editor's Notes: As soon as I figure at where this story is going I will be glad to let you all know. I am really enjoying the interaction between the Phoenix Kids and The Haven Kids.

I think Todd and Adam are being very brave and it took a lot of guts for Adam to do what he did.

Now as for Merry Pason, I think her one brain cell is one vacation, she should know better than taking legal shortcuts. I can't wait to see the look on her face when approximately sixty kids show up instead of the fifteen or so she was expecting! 

Does she really think putting Neal on the stand is a good idea look what happened the last time they put one of my nephews on the stand.

Okay I have figured out who Lou is but I am still going pack through the previous chapters to figure out who Howie and Artie's Dad is.

It looks like Lou has found a home and plenty of people who will love and care for him including Max and Ginger.

I can't wait to edit the next chapter as soon as it arrives in my inbox.

Thanks for another wonderful chapter.

Fort Chief Editor AKA TSL