The Bonds That Ties

Prologue

It's a dark and rainy day on this late April night as a woman shields herself from the downpour by clenching her pea-coat tighter around the bundle of joy… that's what she would like to think but her husband thinks differently under it as she searches for a safe place for it. The woman wanted so much to keep the baby girl but she knew that her husband would never allow her to do so and she also feared what he might do to the young child in one of his fits of rage.

There was no other choice but to give up the child to someone that could take of the baby girl and it pains her to abandon her child like this but it wasn't her choice yet hoping that the baby will forgive her one day. Judy Fabray opens up to the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Jones knowing that they have a baby girl of their own around the same age as her Quinn by the name of Mercedes and a toddler named Riley as Mr. Jones is a successful attorney.

The man makes more than enough to provide for his family and she hopes that he will be willing to take pity on her daughter as well as come to love her as his own, unlike Russell who's unable to. Judy places the young sleeping baby on the dry doorstep before ringing the doorbell then placing a gentle kiss on Quinn's forehead as she turns to walk out of her daughter's life for good with tears streaming down her face. The door's opened by Mrs. Jones holding a baby in her arms, looking around to see who rung her doorbell but unable to find the source of it and was about to return inside when a loud thunder rumbles followed by the sound of not one but two babies crying.

This causes the dark skinned woman to look down to see a baby laying on her doorstep getting drenched from the rain as her maternal instincts kick in, scooping the crying babe in her arms, bringing her inside. Anita Jones is a housewife and a stay at mom by choice because she wants to spend as much time with her children as possible and she loves every minute of it causes there's no greater joy than the moments with her children.

She quickly sets Mercedes down on her bed, making sure that she doesn't roll off as sheds the wet clothes off of the crying girl in her arms before giving her a warm bath then putting her in warmer clothes. Anita lightly bounces Quinn in her arms while humming a lullaby that within a few seconds put her sleep as she kisses the young girl's forehead and she knew that she was in trouble because she's slowly but surely falling in love with this baby.

She had to be set on our doorstep for a reason. Hopefully Jamal will be open to the idea to another child. Anita knew that her husband works hard at his law firm to take care of his family and often worked long hours to pay the mortgage as well as spoil the children but after Mercedes was born, Jamal didn't want to have anymore children so it's gonna take a lot of convincing on her part to get him to let Quinn stay. She looks up when she hears the door of her bedroom to see that it's her son Riley waddling inside before pulling himself onto the bed, looking at the baby in her arm as he looks up at her in confusion.

"Baby?"

"That's right Riles, baby. This is your other baby sister, Quinn and it's your job to make sure that you love and protect your sisters" Anita said smiling.

Riley grins before kissing the top of Quinn's head as he makes silly faces at his new sister like he already loves her and Anita giggles at her son's actions, knowing that the toddler will make an great big brother. It was a few hours before Jamal Jones comes home and he's drop dead exhausted from all of the cases that he's taking on as all he wants to do is getting out of his suit and climb into bed with his wife. The lawyer changes out of his suit and into a t-shirt and sweatpants before walking into his bedroom to find the sight before shocking and bewildering. Jamal finds his wife lying in their bed, breastfeeding their daughter Mercedes but the bewildering thing was that Anita was also breastfeeding a blonde white child.

"Anita, what's going on here?" Jamal asked as his eyebrow furrows together. "Who's child is this?"

"Jamal" Anita said biting her lip.

"Oh no, no Anita. I'm gonna stop you right there because there's no way that we're taking in this child" Jamal said shaking his head.

"But Jamal, she was abandoned on our doorstep"

"I'm sorry for the poor child that this happened to her but you know that I don't want anymore children"

"Sweetie, she's not going to be trouble" Anita said pleadingly.

"No Anita, this is a bad idea"

"Why?" Anita asked fixing herself back into her nightgown. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't take her in. I know that you'll come to love her"

Jamal open his mouth to give his wife why they shouldn't take in another child but couldn't cause he knows that his wife will fight him on this and once his wife makes her mind on something, there's no changing it. The lawyer runs his hand through his short dark curls, sighing to himself as he resign himself to the situation as it was no secret that he's one of the best attorneys in town but with all his debate skills, it means absolutely nothing when it comes to his wife. Jamal walks over towards the bed, lying on his back to stare up on the ceiling when he notices his wife setting Quinn in his arms as the baby looks up at him with those bright hazel green eyes and a gummy grin, he knew that this girl will have a special place in his heart reserved for his children. I guess it won't be so bad.

A few blocks down, Carlos and Elliot were enjoying the joys of parenthood with their one year old daughter Santana and they love the sassy little girl who only recently learned how to walk. Elliot is a partner at a firm with Jamal Jones and loves defending people who can defend themselves which most people don't think that he's a lawyer with his large stature as they assume that he's a probation officer or something like that.

The taller Berry has to hide the fact that he has tattoos from his youth covering both of his arms while in court to be taking seriously and as a professional but one of his cases was a custody case of one Carlos Lopez who was trying to get sole custody of his newborn daughter. When Elliot first saw the Latino, he fell hard for him and didn't care that he has a pre-started family but it didn't stop him from pursuing the tanned man cause he wanted him but he has a job to do and that was to help the poor fellow.

Carlos didn't have much money and couldn't afford someone like the lawyer but Elliot was willing to help which he was against because he refused to be a charity case but he did need the help badly. Everything after winning the case was history as the lawyer convinced Latino to go out with him and they were married after a few months of taking with the smaller Lopez as the flower girl. Elliot loves his daughter more than anything in the whole wide world and there's nothing that he wouldn't do for as almost a year, the two are inseparable and everything together. The couple was sitting in the loveseat in front of the fireplace when they receive a phone call from someone that they thought they would never hear from again.

"Hello?"

"Elliot, is this you?" A female voice asked nervously.

"This is he and who may I ask who's speaking?" Elliot asked raising an eyebrow.

"Elliot, it's Shelby. I need a favor to ask of you" Shelby said sounding tired.

The last thing that Elliot was expecting was for his ex-girlfriend to call him like this because the last time he heard from her was when they had that one night stand after a rather hard and intense case. The failed Broadway starlet had gotten him drunk one night after showing up at his place as they slept together and he had woken up to find that all the money and credit cards in his wallet was missing to use to buy more heroin for her addiction. Elliot has tried to get Shelby help but every attempt to get her clean has been a disaster or huge disappointment on her part.

"What could you possibly want from me, Shelby? I'm not giving you money to buy more heroin" Elliot said frowning.

"It's not that. I… we have a daughter together and I need to leave her with you until I get the help that I need"

Elliot froze in that moment as the phone slips out of his hand, falling on the floor as Santana looks up at him in confusion.

"Dada. Dada" Santana said patting Elliott on the knee.

"Is she… is she?"

"She's fine. Her name's Rachel but she's a little different from the average girl and I'm sending her your way soon"

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked confused.

"She… she has a penis where her vagina should but other than that she's a healthy little girl. I'll be in contact"

Elliot couldn't believe it as he tries to wrap his mind around the information that he just received and unsure what does mean for his family but does know that he will take care of Rachel, being the father that she needs. The lawyer nearly jumps out of his skin when something touches his hand, looking down to see that it's the Latino looking at him with a gentle smile on his face.

"When do we pick up our daughter?" Carlos asked smiling.

"Carlos, I-"

"Babe, I get it okay. You've been amazing to me and Santana and you've been there for you even though you didn't have to. Let me do this for you"

"I love you" Elliot said resting his forehead against Carlos'.

"I love you too" Carlos said chuckling.

~Nicole The Dragon Rider signing off