Author's Note: I doubt I'll make many author's notes. But, I just wanted to explain that this fanfic was inspired by Libby Anne's critique of Forbid Them Not by Michael Farris over on Patheos. (I'd post the link, but doesn't seem to like that.) My username is LokiLover over there. If you're not here from Patheos, I'd advise you to check out her blog. I'm going to try to make this a coherent story, but since my fanfic in the comments section of her blog is largely reactionary, there will probably be some things that I miss. The point of putting the story here is that there's some pretty important changes between my fanfic and the original book, which could be confusing to people who are new to my fanfic. so, I figured I'd put all of my fanfic here in an easy-to-enjoy format! Hope you like it! Oh, also, this is my first fanfic on this site.
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"Mommy! Look at this picture I made!" Layton said happily, showing off the picture he had colored in Laura's class.
"That's great, Layton! But mommy wants you to focus on your school right now, okay?" Deanna said. They were sitting at the picnic table enjoying the sunny day. Layton's younger sister, Nikki, was playing with dolls underneath the swing. The youngest, Trent, was taking a nap in the shade. This idyllic scene was interrupted by a car coming down the driveway. It was a brown Loudoun County Sheriff's cruiser. The deputy stepped out. "Deputy Wally? What's wrong?" Deanna asked.
"Oh, I've just got some legal papers for you, that's all. Don't ask me what they're about. I don't know. Don't ever know. I don't read 'em. I don't write 'em. I just deliver 'em," he replied. It was his standard incantation. He climbed back into the cruiser the moment he handed her the papers and sped down the driveway, leaving Deanna in the dust.
She scanned the document. Words like "Petition for Dependency" and "treaty obligation" stood out to her, but she couldn't understand why she would be given something like this. She scanned it again. This time she found what she was looking for: Peppered throughout were mentions of home schooling, spanking, and religious instruction. But how- "Oh... That woman! That... That wanton hussy!" Did I just say that out loud? She instinctively checked her surroundings. The only sounds she could hear were from Layton and Nikki playing in the distance. That's right. It's just me and my children out here in this rural setting. Good. No one can know that I'm a time-traveller from the past. She laid the papers to the side as she considered her options. This would bring some very unwanted attention to her family. The chances of someone noticing she and her husband didn't belong in this era had greatly increased. She needed to call Rick.
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When Deanna called Rick, she had been nothing but a blubbering mess. Rick had tried to do everything he could to calm her down. At his coaxing she had managed to read the document out loud to him. He realized it was more serious than just unwanted publicity: There was a chance the government might even take their children away from them. Rick told her he was going to make a few calls, get a lawyer. He was going to figure this out, he promised. Deanna had blubbered her thanks.
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They were driving to meet the lawyer Rick had procured. Deanna was a mess and she knew it. Her old friends, Scarlett and Melanie would've never broken down like this at the thought of their children being taken away. They would've fought, and they wouldn't have cared if their men were there fighting with them or not. Her moment of reverie was interrupted when they got to the office. Rick came to her side and opened the door for her. Look at me, I can't even open the door by myself! Why did they come to this era? Trent. He had been so sick. She knew her husband could time-travel. She had begged him to take her to the future where he could get proper medical care. Then they had just… stayed for the past two years. Rick had told her that this century had gotten things backwards. She didn't realize how many things it had gotten backwards until he had explained to her what those legal documents meant. They want to take away my children! The news had broken her.
They didn't have to wait long before Cooper came bounding into the lobby. That was the word – bounding. He seemed entirely too cheerful for a lawyer. He asked what was wrong and she said, "Sir, some lying government bureaucrat is trying to take my child—that's all," repeating what her husband had told her. Cooper couldn't seem to contain his smile. There was definitely something wrong with this man.
Her husband explained what had happened. This was fine. She was too angry to contribute much beyond muttering about that woman being a dog. Her husband had put his hand on her knee to control her. Cooper made a few calls. Apparently there was another family somewhere who was going through the same thing they were going through, but who they were was confidential.
One thing he said stood out to her. "We are dealing with issues that are not only new to me, but I'm pretty sure have never been dealt with by any lawyer in the country. Treaties. Third party plaintiffs in dependency cases. Constitutional rights." That… really didn't sound right. Issues dealing with constitutional rights had been debated since the country's inception. She knew that. They had visited New York for one Summer during the late 18th century when she and Rick had begun courting. And treaties... America dealt more with treaties during her time than she could possibly keep up with. The amount of treaties with just the Indians and their history could fill multiple books! She wasn't entirely sure what 'third party plaintiffs in dependency cases' meant, but if he could be wrong about the other two...
When Cooper said he was willing to do their case for free, Deanna thought, Well, with how little you seem to know about the law, no wonder you sell your services so cheaply. She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying it out loud. Right now he was the best she could do. She should have been trying to make friends in this era like her husband had, instead of spending her days with only her children. But that's just what was expected of her, right?