Disclaimer. I don't own the characters. There is no more gain than the writing practice that is done here.

Thanks to everyone who was interested in this story, and thanks to Dr. JES, for his support, in no way have I taken his comment as a criticism, on the contrary, I appreciate that he warns me about language errors, I know that my biggest complication when translating are the pronouns, she, he, them, their that in some sentences are misapplied, I am reviewing the story to correct it, I did not do it before due to lack of time, I think that in the last chapters I have improved them in that aspect. I am finishing another story, I hope you are interested too.

CHAPER 9: THE BING FAMILY

The days passed and the Bing family returned to their home.

The first thing they did was talk to Erika and Jack, the four of them sat down in the kitchen and Chandler started.

"Look kids, you know that the parents of the Rockport cousins died, and now they are in the foster care of Grandma Janet."

The children were looking at him intently and Chandler continued.

"Grandma Janet is sick, and when she can't take care of them anymore the Social Worker will put them in a Foster Home until they are adopted, maybe they won't find a loving family for all three of them, and they will be separated"

"That's horrible, dad," Erika exclaimed.

"Yes it is horrible, but mom and I are not going to allow it, so we made the decision to adopt them after their grandmother is not in a position to care for them.

Jack asked, "are they going to live with us?"

"Yes, they will be more than their cousins, they will be their brothers, and we are going to move to another bigger house so that there is room for everyone"

Erika smiled "I like them, Lucas is fun and Emily is very sweet, they're not fights, it's good that you adopt them like you did us, they're going to have a happy home"

This comment made Chandler and Monica's eyes fill with tears and their hearts leap with joy.

"It will be good to have a younger brother, we can play video games, and dad you can teach him to play tennis and also soccer like you did with me" said Jack

"Sure son, and then we can beat the Gellers," Chandler said with a big smile and a wink at Monica.

From then on, Monica y Chandler had many tasks: finding a house, which with their requirements would not be so easy, and starting the paperwork.

The following week they went to take all the necessary documentation to the lawyer to start the process.

They wanted to find the right house and move in before the visits from the social workers began. The search took them a month. Finally, at the beginning of October, they found the house, with the right amenities and location, and since it had been recently renovated, it did not require arrangements, finalized the purchase and rushed the move while they had their house for sale.

Also, during September and October Chandler and Monica also took along trips to Rockport, the kids already in school.

On each trip Janet was looking a little more deteriorated, and she looked at them with joy, waiting for the news they brought, they told them about the move to a new house with comforts for everyone and they informed her about the process.

After the move and while they were still settling in, they received a visit from two Social Workers who toured the new house. Monica explained that they had moved 10 days ago and still needed some furniture and opened some boxes. However, the Assistants assured her that they understood the disorder, that this was not the problem, but seeing the comforts they had and that aspect was correct.

Later, at the beginning of November, they had had the interviews with the psychologists who had also spoken with Jack and Erika.

Since Thanksgiving was approaching, Monica and Chandler decided to spend it with Janet and the kids, so Monica told Rachel and her mother that they wouldn't be spending it this year with them.

That night, Ross, Rachel, Judy, and Jack Sr. showed up at Monica's house.

Monica and Chandler were shocked,

The first to speak was Ross: "We have come to tell you that we are also going to Rockport to spend Thanksgiving with all of you"

Rachel continued "Ross was looking on the internet that there are houses to rent with facilities for everyone, we would be 6 adults and four children, and there is one with a large dining room that could fit Janet, the children and Anne"

Judy is speaking now. "Chandler, we think this is a good opportunity for the children, in their own territory, to meet everyone who will be part of their family, grandparents, uncles, cousins, we cook the food and invite Janet, Anne and the children and we will spend five beautiful days"

Chandler got a lump in his throat, all of them were really his family, as he always said "the best family anyone could have."

Chandler just managed to hug them all, and thanked them for the support, which was incredible.

The afternoon before Thanksgiving they all flew to Boston and rented a van that they all fit in. They reached Rockport at night. The house they had rented was cozy and very comfortable. They settled in and told Janet that they had arrived and the next day they would pick them up.

While Monica and Judy began to finish cooking the turkey, which they brought back half-done, Chandler, Ross, Erika, Jack, and Emma went to Janet's house. The children were happy to see their cousins, Chandler introduced them to Ross, explaining that he was Monica's brother, and told the children, this is Uncle Ross, and then they helped Janet into the car, and they all left for the rented house.

Janet met Monica's parents, Ross's wife, and the missing child. The children made an immediate connection, except for little Magi who is always looking for Janet's or Monica's or Chandler's spleens and the New Yorkers pondered the beautiful town where they lived.

The Thanksgiving meal was perfect, and in the days that followed they all took walks together, visiting Janet's house as well. -

Near the end of the visit, Janet told Chandler and Monica that she needed to talk. She explained to them:

"Guys, it is becoming more and more difficult for me to take care of the kids, especially Magi, my illness was more advanced, the outings these days on the one hand made my heart jump for joy, but on the other they destroyed my body, and for Anne it is also increasingly difficult to take care of me, she is also getting older and it is not easy for her" …. "My doctor has told me that I should be in an institution where they can give me the care that I need more every day." - "And for that I have to let the children go, even if it breaks my heart, since I don't want them to see me suffer either" …" Look, it breaks my heart to let them go, but I know that the children needed a family like yours."

"Janet, we understand perfectly and we are prepared to receive them, and on the other hand we want you to carry your illness without this burden that, although I know you love them infinitely, you cannot continue with it." "Look, tomorrow I'll talk to the lawyer, I'll explain the situation and we'll see if we can take them home now, at least in provisional care, attentive to the relationship, while we continue with the adoption procedures" … "As soon as he gives us his answer, we'll let you know" Chandler said reassuringly.

And to avoid some of the work of raising her, he told them to hire a nanny, that he would take care of all the expenses. Anne immediately told him that she knew a woman who could take care of the children. That would relieve Janet and she would keep Mrs. Kendal somewhat away.

Once in NY, Chandler met with the lawyer to explain her situation, since he urgently wanted to be able to bring the children, even if it wasn't with temporary custody, until the adoption was finalized.

The lawyer informed him that to obtain provisional custody, as well as for the adoption case, they needed an order from a Boston judge authorizing the transfer of the children to the state of New York and at the same time ordering the intervention of the Office of Social Services of the receiving state to carry out the follow-up, and he assure them that he will submit the request immediately, but he will need a report on the health status of the grandmother and the children, and he will require the Social Services that have been researching them here in NY for a preliminary suitability report. In the petition he will highlight your degree of kinship. And he explain to Chandler that he will have to travel with Monica to attend a hearing with the Judge.

Chandler told him that they would do whatever was necessary, that he just let him know when they would have to travel, and he was going to ask Janet for the health certificates of her and her children.

This process took time, and Chandler was concerned that Janet's health would deteriorate and the caseworker would end up placing the children in an institution or foster home.

For Christmas Monica, Chandler and the kids traveled to Rockport to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with Janet, Anne and the kids, Janet was really affected more, but the nanny's support had helped them a lot. Except that Janet was worried about the delay in the process, although Chandler assured her that the lawyer is taking care of it, giving priority to her case.

After Christmas the Bings returned to N.Y. to celebrate the new year with the gang.

In the absence of news Chandler is increasingly concerned about the fate of the children, since he found out about his sister's existence, Monica and he had lived in permanent uncertainty, first to find her and then to achieve custody and adoption of his nephews. He didn't understand why everything cost them so much...

At the end of January, the lawyer told them that they had a hearing scheduled with the Judge in Boston on February 12, and that he would accompany them along with a lawyer registered in that state.

The hearing would also have to be attended by Janet and the children.

Monica and Chandler traveled ahead of time to Rockport to bring Janet, Anne, and the kids to town, all staying at a hotel.

The Judge was an older gentleman, who seemed to be in good spirits and treated all of them. He first asked the children to go to another office, and Anne accompanied them.

He then questioned Janet, who told about Elizabeth and Victor's accident, how she got temporary custody and the transfer of the children from California to Massachusetts because she was her grandmother. And she also explained to the Judge her health problem that prevented her from continuing to care for the children, even though it broke her heart, tears ran down Janet's cheeks. And then after a pause, she continues explaining to the Judge that several months ago, Chandler, Elizabeth's brother, and his wife had come into her life, that they are wonderful people and that they are willing to adopt the children and integrate them into their family.

The Judge then asked Chandler if he had had contact with his sister before the accident and why he now wanted to adopt the children.

Chandler told him the whole story, how he found out, a little over a year ago, that he had a sister, his father told him before he died and gave him letters and photos that Janet had sent to Elizabeth's biological mother, that's telling his own mother. Chandler told the judge about the odyssey they undertook with Monica to find Elizabeth, with only the address that the Morrison had put, more than 30 years ago, in their letters. That search took them to Boston, on the internet they discovered where Harold had studied and what company Harold had worked for, then through Facebook they searched and managed to connect with a son of Harold who from England gave them an address in Montreal, they went to Montreal and there a neighbor told them that Janet could be in Rockport, and so after months of searching they arrived at Janet's house, always with the intention of finding out where Elizabeth lived and there they found out that she had died in an accident more than a year ago and they meet her three children, his nephews.

"Your Honor, that's the story of how I found out and looked for my sister..." Chandler finished saying.

"As for your question about why I want to adopt my nephews…. they are my blood, if my mother never cared about the girl she gave birth to, it was very important for me to know her, my childhood was very lonely and knowing that I had a sister made me feel that I still had roots, and if she is not here now, yes, her children, and I cannot allow them to be taken from Janet due to her illness and sent to a shelter. My mother deposited me for 8 years in a boarding school, the best and most expensive in the state of NY, and for me it was a prison, no matter how efficient the reception institute to which you can send my nephews, for them I know that it will be a prison without affection, without comfort, without love and to top it off with the terrible risk that they will be separated to be adopted by different families, neither my wife nor I can admit such a thing"

"Your Honor, if you read our file you will know that we have two children, twins, that we adopted 8 years ago, at the time we were investigated for that adoption and we were approved, and now with this new request we have been investigated again and I have no doubt that the attendees have confirmed that we are a family that love each other"

"We have traveled regularly to Rockport to see my nephews, we did it alone, with our children, even for Thanksgiving we went with Monica's parents, with her brother and his family, so that the children got to know the whole family group that we make up, and there are still more to come"

"We talked to our children and they, who have already met and shared many days with my nephews in Rockport, are also eager for them to come home"

Chandler was silent, Monica had tears in her eyes...

The Judge got up and told them that he would go talk to the children… and then he would make a decision.

After two hours of waiting, he read his ruling to them, specifically approving the transfer of the children to New York as provisional guardianship and until the state of New York approved full adoption, which should be reported to him immediately.

When I finish reading the ruling, the judge addressed Chandler:

"Mr. Bing, from what you have told me and what I have read, obviously you and your wife are persistent, I am sure that the children will be fine in your care, they tell me they expressed how much they love their Uncle Chan, Aunt Mon, Erika and Jack, and would like to live with them, even though they will miss their grandmother.

Tomorrow you will have the authorizations, their lawyers will give them to you, you can take the children when you see fit.

And I wish you all the best.

Chandler just said "thank you" as tears ran down his cheek.

As they walk out of the courtroom, Chandler can't help but do his happy dance and hug and kiss Monica. Janet was also happy, she was relieved, now all she had to do was organize the move.

The next day, after receiving the documentation from the lawyer, they all returned to Rockport,

Janet asked Chandler if she could have a few more days with the kids.

"Janet, you are the one who decides when you want us to come looking for them, it's up to you." Chandler told him

"No son, I just want a few days, a week if that's okay with you, they'll be ready to go on Friday"

"You are sure…"

"Yes, I just want to pamper them for a few days, but the truth is that physically I can't take it anymore... once you take them away I'm going to enter the residence, I just have to tell them the day I'm going, I also want to free poor Anne, that she has been by my side for too long and she has a life"

"Well, next Friday we will come to pick them up... don't forget to take the laptop to the residence to make video calls with them." Chandler told her

"I hope I remember how to use it." Janet laughed.

"Ask any nurse or residence staff to help you at first, then you'll get used to it, you'll see," Chandler finally advised.

That afternoon they returned to the hotel in Boston, they had tickets to return to NY the next morning, but from the hotel they called the children who were with their grandparents, Ross, Phoebe, with the good news, everything had ended well, the next weekend the children would be home.

On Saturday afternoon they all went to the house to celebrate that the odyssey was finally over, and they promised to have a welcome organized for when they arrived.

That week Monica took the opportunity to enroll the children in school, Lucas and Emily will go to the same school where Jack and Erica attend, Lucas in first grade and Emily enrolled in Kindergarten. For the moment they decided to keep Magi at home until Kindergarten began, she was surely the one most needed close to Monica.

Erika and Jack asked if they could go with them to look for them, and Monica said, "Yeah sure, it'd be better for them if you were there."

In the middle of the week, Rachel needed some information and went to the VIP sales room, and surprisingly she met Nora, who greeted her with the most affection.

Rachel felt very uncomfortable, she felt like she was betraying Chandler, but she couldn't help but return her greeting.

"Rachel, nice to see you, how is everyone…"

"Hello Nora, well, we are all fine, what are you doing in NY"

"Actually I came for a couple of days, tomorrow I'm going to San Diego and from there I'm going to tour all of California with my new book" ... "Oh … if I had known that I would see you I would have brought you a copy"

"Okay Nora, I sure will buy it…"

"I guess you know everything, you guys are a group that tell each other everything, right?" Nora asked

"Yes, but it's between you and Chandler..." Rachel replied.

"Yes of course …. how is he, Monica, the kids…?"

"Everyone is fine …"

"Since he's stubborn, I'm sure he's looking for his sister… did he find her?" Nora asked again

"Look, Nora, I don't…" Rachel began to say, very uncomfortable, but Nora interrupted her.

"Girl, I don't think I'll see Chandler again, He'll make that clear, so there's no risk if you tell me anything…" Nora told her haughtily.

"If you don't care about him and his sister, why do you want to know?" Rachel said firmly.

"Just curious…" Nora argued with a smile.

"Yes, he looked for it and found it, that's all I'm going to tell you, if you want to know more you'll have to talk to him, … if he takes care of you..." Rachel answered again firmly.

"Okay girl…. I always knew that you are a pineapple…. Just knowing that he found her is enough, he will be calmer"

"Well I have to go back to my office" Rachel said and the two women greeted each other, although when their backs were turned Nora made an annoyed gesture, although it couldn't be determined if it was because of what she knew or because she didn't know more.

When Rachel returned to her house, she called Monica and detailed the encounter word for word. Monica only asked her never to tell Chandler, now he was so happy that she didn't want to shadow him with the mention of his mother. Rachel totally agreed, that would be between the two of them and no one else.

The following Thursday night the four Bings flew to Boston, and checked into a hotel. The next morning, after breakfast, they drove to Rockport in a rental car. Chandler asked Monica to drive, he was too nervous and excited, sweaty hands

When they arrived, the children were already beautifully dressed with their suitcases packed, and they were very happy to see Erica and Jack who also came looking for them.

Janet had called Monica the day before to ask her not to be a long or sad farewell, she didn't want the children to see her cry, she would just hug them all and then they should leave her.

The Bings complied with Janet's request, they said goodbye to her and Anne, Chandler just reminded her about the laptop, and Janet smiled at him, and said "Don't hesitate" and they all got in the car and went back down the road that joins Rockport with Boston, knowing that they would return with the children to visit Janet and Anne, they had promised.

When they arrived in Boston it was already noon and they went to eat at a McDonald's, Lucas and Emily were delighted, they hadn't been to one for a long time. After lunch they went to the airport and the seven of them flew to NY, Magi traveled in Monica's lap and fell asleep, Emily sat next to Chandler and when the plane began to take off she squeezed his uncle's hand hard, Chandler smiled at her and he stroked her head. Erika, Lucas and Jack were in the back seats.

When they got home they found the whole gang and the grandparents, with posters and balloons everywhere, Lucas and Emily were surprised at first, but when they saw that Emma and Martin ran towards them to hug them their faces lit up. Emma called Sofia and Belinda and introduced them to the kids, "these are their other two cousins" Emma said.

Magi in Monica's arms was quite shy, but when Rachel approached her she recognized her and gave her a huge smile, just like Judy.

Chandler was exultant, happy, he had made it, his roots were already with his beloved family.

He hugged Monica by the shoulders, he kissed Magi on the forehead, and his heart burst into a huge smile, and he screamed, finally we are all together, I love you all and thanks for the support.

The family was complete, in a few months they had the definitive adoption, the children began to integrate and little by little, and copying Jack and Erica, they began to call Chandler dad and Monica mom, and this filled them with pride.

They were definitely the Bing family.