A/N: NOT EDITED.

Chapter 12 – The Past, The Keepers and The Takers (Kaden POV)

Sean leaves the interview room, as Donavan comforts his wife. She sobs, but as he watches his sisters' behavior and facial expressions he doesn't whisper words of comfort that they will get to keep their children. And when she finally is able to control her emotions, she turns to Margo, "How bad is this?" her voice hoarse and Margo's face has a bit of defeat already there.

"The only thing you have on your side is that you've taken care of these children from birth," she says bluntly and if we weren't in this situation, I'd probably ask her to commit to my company's legal team.

"What else is there besides that, seven long years... we've fed, clothed, and loved those two children, they are ours in all the ways that count-"

"Just not legally. They – there is proof that neither parent ever gave up consent, there was no case saying that they were deemed unfit, no waiting period for parent rights to be severed, nothing. In the eyes of the law you practically kidnapped those children and brought them here. The reason the F.B.I is involved now, is because this isn't – this is international... I wouldn't be surprised if there was already a case called in London, giving them custody of Sawyer and Tristan already." Again, Margo is aware.

"How – how could – who – you stiffened when he said Reese Morgan? Why?" Donavan questions Margo. "Reese Morgan makes approximately in one day what you make all year," she replies. I hadn't understood just what Sean meant when he said what two hundred grand could buy you, but it wasn't the Bradley's that gave Bill – Etta's father – the money, in fact it was the other way around from what we could tell, which wasn't much.

"Money doesn't matter," Katherine replied speaking since she's asked that first question. "What should we be doing Margo? We can't lose them." Standing silently next to me, Etta takes a step forward closer to the mirror that hid us from them.

"File for shared custody," Margo said smartly, jumping the gun, "They want full custody, no judge is going to grant them that, if you ask for shared custody. If you try to get full custody, the ball is in their favor, you have their children-"

"Stop! Stop saying that! They are your niece and nephew how can – you're just giving up? They've never as so much spent any time with Sawyer and Tristan and now – what? They want them full time? And you think that money – because he's wealthy they're just going to get our children?" Katherine shouted her finger pointing at her sister in law.

"What – what if we get the media on our side?" Katherine said desperately, but behind the glass Etta and I remained calm. I watched as Margo read of the files Sean handed her, we had already covered that base as well. Asking that with my level of fame and recognition, for the safety of Sawyer and Tristan as well as for our other children, a gag order be placed, neither them nor us could speak to the media.

Going to the table, Margo waved for them to sit once again, "I'm not sure you're understanding this, the fact that a judge has already seen them, and decided to remove Sawyer and Tristan from your care, they've already voided your adoption. As of right now, they are wards of the state, it is possible that they get full custody guys."

"So – so we – we have – no – no options?" Katherine sobbed, while Donavon became a statue. "No, ask for shared custody, while the birth parents may want full custody, to just up and pull them from this family is completely unheard of... offer weekend visitation, invite them to your home, don't try to alienate them, that will only work against you..." Margo said.

Next to me Etta sighed, "I don't want to hear anymore," her voice catching and thick, her hand in mine we left the room, exiting quietly to the car where John sat waiting. When we finally arrived back at the house, from the outside alone I could hear the shrieks of different children inside. My heart raced, and my feet doubled in weight, I knew that Reese and Morgan were inside now; they had arrived since we didn't – couldn't tell just how long we would be in New York. It only made sense that David – John's son – bring them to us.

"It'll be okay," Etta whispered next to me, her faith in everything working out always seemed to reach me deep inside. "Reese and Morgan will love you, it may take some time for them to warm up to you, but once they do, I'm sure they'll have you wrapped around their tiny little fingers," she teased lightening the mood and fear that was building inside me.

Pulling me along, she entered and immediately went in search of our babies, "ohhhhh Morgannn, Reeseeee," she called for them, her body hunched over as she pretended to search the area, getting on her hands and knees until all four children came around the corner, Reese and Morgan on their feet wobbly but running to her, and Myles and Vivian behind them.

"Mama," the girls crashed into Etta, their hair in one pony tail, trying to control all their wild – like Etta – curls, pieces bumpy and not quite put together. Carmel brown skin, like Etta's with my hazel brownish eyes, and their front teeth, on show.

"Ree and Morgan," she turned to wave me forward, completely entrapped by the little people, I couldn't move or blink, as suddenly I was assaulted by a memory, hard and fast.

'You want to name our future children, Reese, Morgan and Avery?' Etta asked me in mock outrage, her little face scrunched up.

'Why not?'

'What will I call you? Reese and then our daughter or son will be Reese too?' I shook my head at her, nibbling on her ear, before I whispered, 'the baby will be Ree, like Lee, but with an 'R', and I will be Reese...' pulling away from me, her eyes darted between mine, while I hid my mirth.

Biting on her lip, attempting to check – to confirm if I was being serious or not, until finally she gave me a sly look, 'Fine, Reese, Morgan and Avery it is, but I'm going to find the most ridiculous nickname for them,' she countered, making me throw my head back in laughter.

On my knees, body curled, my head on the ground as I rocked through the pain accompanying the single memory, a small voice brought me back to the here and now, "Man hurt?" the little squeaky voice asked and I felt a small hand on my shoulder.

Slowly uncurling myself inhaling honeysuckle tickled my nose, and a bit of vanilla came along, Reese and Morgan, respectably. Etta and the children all had their own individual scents, a human wouldn't be able to catch it, but Myles smelt of chocolate mint, and Vivian like Lilac blossoms. Briefly my mind went to Sawyer and Tristan, what did they smell like? "Man hurt?" Reese asked me again, a bit of impatience in her tone, just like Etta.

Lifting my face, my greyish blue eyes were met with concerned hazel, on my two-year-old, "Man fall ouch?" she pointed to my knees. I just shook my head, completely enthralled by her, and not sure she would understand that if anything I might have caused the floor damage, not the other way around.

"Hi," I smiled, pretty sure I was showing teeth and all, "I'm – I'm Reese-" I stopped abruptly, my eyes flashing over to Etta, did I have them call me Kaden? Reese? Dad? I couldn't – we hadn't spoken about that just yet. For now, I couldn't be Kaden, not when I had already sent myself missing, and I had been presumed dead months back when I left North Carolina.

""Your Reese like Reese," Vivian said laughing, lifting her little hand to cover her mouth as she giggled. "I'm-"

"I'm daddy," I said to Ree, looking at Morgan who was more or less curling herself into Etta, the shier of the two. And as I said the words, I felt a change, another one outside of what was done to me, the experiments conducted. A shift, that stopped my heart before sending it shooting out from the gate. It was the type of change that happened inside me, when Lana had rejected me, altering me inside.

Angrier than ever, I forced a smile, and shook my head at Etta when she questioned me with a concerned look, now wasn't the time but now more than ever, there was nothing I wanted more than to see those that hurt me destroyed.

.

.

.

After putting the children to sleep, Etta and I went to our room, discussing our plan, we needed one, "They are our children, but – but" she shook her head with tears in her eyes, "The Bradley's love them, we can't just take them and go back to the island..." she said sadly.

"They don't know us – I – I think we handled this wrong," the words whispered and filled with anguish.

"You don't want full custody?"

She shook her head, nodding a beat later, "I do, it's safer for them if they are with us Kaden, but to just rip them from everything they know... we can't do that to them. I think... we may have to stay here for at least a year before we can just go back to the island." Etta and I weren't fine, not by a long shot, she couldn't understand this, but I wanted to remember everything, all the pieces that she held in her mind that had disappeared, hidden in mine. But I needed time to recall those things, and I couldn't help but wonder if moving here would cut that time short?

"Let them get to know us... we get to know them," she continued.

"How dangerous would it be for us though? With people seeking you out?"

"I'd move the pack here... we have enough land to build a few more homes on the property and there's already two guest homes, over the garage. Plus the pool house..." I couldn't agree with her decision just yet, not liking the danger that would be placed on us, on her or our children.

"I also think... that we should – that the kids shouldn't – we can't just have them with us like we want, but they shouldn't be somewhere they aren't familiar with," she muttered laying her head on my chest and immediately the sadness from inside her, dripped down her face, onto my chest. Tightening my arms around her, nothing else said that night, until sleep took us both under.

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