October 9, 2009

Earlier that morning in Charlottesville, VA

She smoothed her skirt, looking at her appearance in the mirror yet again touching up her already perfectly done makeup. Her hair was curled and half up making her looking slightly older while her black skirt suit and baby blue button down were freshly pressed with not a wrinkle in sight. Damon walks in front of her, placing his hands to her cheeks and presses their foreheads together "You look beautiful, Snowflake. Stop worrying. No matter what I'm here right behind you."

"What if they take the kids away?" Teary grey-green eyes met ice blue.

"No one will take them from us. If they even try it I'll compel them." She smiles at him.

"Promise?"

"I'll die before I let anyone break our family again." He presses his lips against hers. "No one will take this chance from us, even if it means I have to burn the whole world down around us."

The Circuit Court in Charlottesville, VA

"Judge Lowman presiding." Everyone stands before she begins.

"It looks as though we are missing a major piece of the reason we're all here today. Where is Kelly Donovan?"

"It seems she is running late your honor but I am sure she will be here." Kelly's court appointed lawyer says. Amelia leans toward her own lawyer, whispering.

"If it would please the court, my client is willing to give Ms. Donovan the chance to appear before continuing the proceedings."

"Doubt she'll show either way." Vicki's voice was kept low but easily heard in the quiet courtroom.

"And who would you be young lady?" Judge Lowman asks having heard her due to the curved ceiling creating an echo. Vicki gulps hoping she didn't ruin anything.

"Vicki- I mean Victoria Donovan, your honor." She says nervously.

"A relative of Kelly Donovan and Matthew Donovan?"

"She carried me for nine months and he's my baby brother."

"You mean she's your mother." The judge glances at the papers before coming to a request of adoption and a name change at the back which would have been approved as she was of legal age.

"In the loosest possible sense of the word."

"And do you feel the same way Matthew?" Matt looks a bit nervous but calms down after looking at Vicki and Amelia.

"Yes I do. For as long as I can remember the only ones who have been around were Vicki and Amy. If things go the way we want today then we'll be able to call the woman who actually took care of us and made sure we had everything we needed our mom." Judge Lowman's brows raise at that.

"Matthew, please do remember you are in the court of law and lying will find you in contempt."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not." Matt doesn't even bother to look at the man instead keeping eye contact with Judge Lowman, though Vicki has no problems glaring at him.

"How has Ms. Maxwell ensured you were provided for?"

"How hasn't she? Before we moved into the house we were going to lose the apartment we were living in because mom didn't pay the rent before running off with her latest boyfriend. Vicki was going to drop out just so we could make rent and have something to eat." Amelia's eyes tear up remembering how she had called them from her apartment in New York and Vicki had broken down on the phone not knowing what else she could do.

"I'm sure that isn't the-"

"I'm sorry, were you there?" Vicki cuts Kelly's lawyer off before looking at the judge. "Kelly ditched us the moment I was old enough to get a job. Neither of us have seen her since September 2007. I remember because she left the week before rent was due but school had already started and our deadbeat dad showed up for about a month so he could trying to sue and fail to steal Amy's inheritance." Amelia breathes in as a tear falls, her hands clasped in front of her as a memory is brought forth of Vicki showing up at her door in the pouring rain looking so lost with a 14 year old Matt sobbing in her arms asking why his mom would leave them alone. She feels Damon's hand rest on her shoulder giving her comfort.

"Your father attempted to sue for Ms. Maxwell's inheritance?" Judge Lowman blinks.

"We're distantly related, though we call ourselves cousins to make it easier. Their father Peter Maxwell's grandfather and with him his children and so on were disinherited. He was not aware of the fact that the disinheritance was made to include the entire line, formally." Judge Lowman nods in acceptance.

"Do you have any financial statements or records proving your claims? While I do not doubt the sincerity shown I must ask." Amelia's lawyer moves forward then providing the judge the documents she provided when putting the case together.

"With this and Ms. Donovan's absence I see no reason as to why I sh-" The court room doors swing open and a woman with stringy dyed red hair, chucky jewelry, a too tight emerald green and black lace dress with a deep V showing far too much cleavage with a black cardigan. Her light green eyes were red rimmed and blown wide open. Matt looked at her and immediately turned away placing his head in his hands while Vicki just looked at her in disgust before scoffing. "What in the world?"

"Ms. Donovan!" Kelly's lawyer called in surprise not actually paying attention to her appearance aside from the fact she was present.

"This is Kelly Donovan?"

"Present!" Kelly's hand rises. "Oh Mattyboo, look how big you are now and so handsome! Vicki you're soo . . . tall. Did you do something with your hair?" Amelia sucks at her teeth as she stands, doing her best not to physically react to the woman's presence and ruin things as Kelly was doing well enough on her own.

"Kelly, I think you should sit down and stop talking now."

"Oh, it's you. It's always you, isn't it? Always in the damn way, if it wasn't for you we could have been a real family but no no no. Your mother just had to have you and take away what should have been Peter's." Kelly pokes her.

"Don't touch me Kelly." Amelia can feel Damon's eyes on her and knows he is moving to stand. "Damon, I've got this." She whispers under her breath.

"Or what?"

"Or nothing Kelly because you are doing just fabulous ruining your own case right now. Just sit down and sober up from whatever you've had."

"Ok, I'll do that." Kelly says to pleasantly and Amelia's eyes narrow. She turns to her lawyer only to turn back arm swinging. Amelia catches her fist and quickly twists her arm. The judge quickly calling for the bailiff.

"Mom!" the kids shout and Matt asks "Mom, are you ok?"

"Seriously, Kelly?" The woman squeaks in pain as .

"I'm fine Mattyboo."

"Whatever, no one was talking to you." Vicki says and Kelly realizes that she's right when the bailiff turns her around and she see's Matt focused on Amelia.

"Take Ms. Donovan to the holding area." When things have calmed Judge Lowman sighs. "Before this interruption I wondered if it I was making the correct decision in awarding custody of Matthew Donovan to a woman only a few years older than him regardless of there being a distant familial relation but after what I have just witnessed I have no doubt that Kelly Donovan did in fact abandon her two minor children and as such her parental rights. As you have had a social worker come by to confirm the living arrangements I find no reason for the proceedings to go any further. By the state of Virginia I name you a family. Amelia Lucinda Maxwell may I introduce you to your children Victoria Prudence and Matthew Gregory Maxwell."

"Yes!/Finally!" Matt and Vicki jump up and move to pull their mom into a hug. Amelia's arms wrap around them and her eyes meet Damon's. He smiles at her softly watching their new family fall into place before looking at Jeremy sitting next to him.

"Your turn next." Jeremy looks at him.

"Do you think Dad will really let me?"

"I don't know about letting you since I've never met the man and honestly what I do know of him I doubt I want to but no matter what you're coming home tonight kid and you're not going anywhere else unless you want to. I'll make sure of it." Jeremy smiles and hugs him, Damon tenses before relaxing and patting his back. "I've got you, kid." His eyes slide from the boy holding onto him like a lifeline to his Snowflake and seeing her eyes bright with joy. "We've got you. We're a family, all of us."

"Maxwell vs Gilbert" They hear just a few hours later.

"Ready, Jere-bear?"

"We got this, Mom."

Earlier that Day, Elsewhere

He stared at the suit hanging on the hook in front of him. There was just a few hours now. Three hours before he was stood in front of a judge while his sister made a case to be a mother to his son. She had already been approved and the adoption partially reversed by his waking up from a coma. His mind just kept going back to the arguments held since he woke up.

Was he a good brother? He thought of how he raised Amelia, all the smiles and laughs. Suddenly it was cut off, replaced by the look of devastation and utter heartbreak when he'd told her to leave. He was a good brother once. The best big brother in the world if his coffee mug he'd brought with him was anything to go by. Could he get that title back?

Was he a good father? He thought of his own and compared only to find himself lacking. He'd tried but even he had to admit to himself that he never actually went above and beyond for his son. He'd done more, a hell of a lot more, for his niece then he ever had his son even risking his career when his late wife had pressed him to falsify her birth records. Having friends cover up her horrid behavior. But what about Jeremy? His sweet little boy always left to the side, getting the short end of it all from everyone but Ames. Jeremy who wanted to be an artist but had only one person rooting him on while Miranda said it wasn't a real career or Elena who told him to grow up but would turn right back around and say he was too little for something.

And him? Did he ever actually bother to look? He hadn't until Jeremy never came back home. He had found his sketchpad in his bedroom after Jenna had come to see him to deliver him custody papers and the wedding invitation. His heart broke all over again when he looked through the sketchpad. Black and white sketches of what was clearly him walking away with a little boy's hand reaching out for him, Jeremy's hand. Was that all he was? Just another back turned to him?

Looking further in he'd seen Jeremy's hopes and dreams and they were with Ames as his mother. Ames' sweet smile with her hand reaching for the little boy's. Silly faces and lively colors. A self portrait of him in a three way mirror one with him horrifically scarred with Elena and Miranda's faces in the background in one. The center mirror had him with a blank look in the middle of a road surrounded by dark clouds with only a small light shining through and a man's outline in the background. The last mirror however had him smiling as a little boy with a grown Ames behind him wrapping him in her arms as they read a book.

Moving into the back of the sketchpad had left him breathless at the realization. Purple eyes that seemed to reflect the galaxy and were so familiar, reminding him of the day of the crash as he was drowning. Ames looking so small in the middle of a hospital dripping wet and heartbroken. Ames with those bright purple eyes and massive wings spread out behind her, his breath catching in his throat at his beautiful little sister looking so much like an angel. Even if only subconsciously he was sure his son knew his aunt wasn't human but even with that he held no fear of her. Why would he when she had a gentle soul? Tears dripped looking at the sketchpad once more.

How had he let things go so wrong? More importantly how could he fix it and get his family back?