Warning: Child abuse depicted in this chapter.

June came, and Felicity went into labour. After five hours, she gave birth to her and Peter's son, who they named Michael. They decided that having three children together, along with the four children he had with Ruthie, and that he and Felicity were raising for Ruthie, were enough, and they would get sterilized as soon as it was feasible for them.

A week later, Hope had her turn. She gave birth to her son, who she named Douglas. The father of the baby, her former boyfriend, Yancey Smith, regretted not being there for the moment, but he promised he would come to Saint Louis sometime before year's end to visit his son and so he and Hope could work out a custody arrangement.

Finally, in September, Ruthie and Jimmy Moon welcomed their daughter into the world. They named her after their mothers, Elizabeth Annie Moon Camden. To Ruthie's surprise, Jimmy asked her if he could kiss her on the lips, for good luck for the baby. After thinking about it for a moment, she agreed. Ruthie's speaking children thought it was weird for two gay people of opposite sexes to kiss, but understood it was a gesture of friendship and nothing more. Besides, with Jimmy now living full time with Ruthie, Hope, and Rita, they all agreed they needed to get along for the best interests not just of themselves, but of Elizabeth and Douglas too.

Two months later, in November, Rita and Rhiannon were having a play date at Rita's house. Hope and Ruthie were having a dinner date, and Jimmy was keeping an eye on the babies, so Charlotte was asked to chaperone the young couple. Around nine o'clock, Hope and Ruthie returned to the house.

"Thanks for the help, Charlotte," said Ruthie. "You really are a remarkable woman. Speaking of which, it's been a few months since you had the reassignment surgery. How do you feel?"

"Like a woman, a real woman," said Charlotte. "I always have been a girl and woman, from the time I came out as a girl when I was four, but that was the last step. I'm glad I had parents who were by my side from the very beginning, and that they had no problem in changing my birth certificate. Not to mention all my friends who backed me up, When I got beaten up back in February, I knew why the thugs were doing it, but I couldn't figure out how they knew what my dead name was. But I knew that was my affirming moment. If I had any doubts I made the wrong choice, that was the deciding factor that I was right all along."

"Speaking of which," said Rita, "I thought you wanted to get a D-cup. Why did you decide on C? I ask because I'm already a C-cup and am still growing. I've heard horror stores of girls who have D-cups and get reduction surgery, mainly because guys want to date them for the wrong reasons."

"That's why," said Charlotte. "While it was well known I was dating Brenda, there were still boys hitting on me. Plus, a lot of cis girls encouraged me not to go with a D-cup. Natural born girls and women have stronger backs than boys and men do, because they are going to give birth and carry a child for nine months, especially the pressure on the back when it comes time to deliver. A big bosom kills their backs, and they need to reduce the pressure. Because I was born a boy, one of the girls said I would never be able to handle the weight. I'm glad I listened to their advice. A C-cup suits me fine."

"Well, you are beautiful," said Jimmy, who had come upstairs from the basement to help see off Charlotte and Rhiannon. "I know this may be an inappropriate question to ask, but ..."

"Do I miss having a 'package'?" asked Charlotte helpfully. "Nope. Having that taken out was the final step in my liberation. I am proud of who I am, and I can't wait to marry Brenda. Yes, we make love, and it's like no other feeling in the world."

"Well, we need to make sure Rhiannon makes it over to her house safely," said Hope. "It's two houses over, but the parking lot at night make me worry about the kids in the posse. Would you Charlotte, please?"

"Gladly," said Charlotte. "Ready, Ree?"

"Yup," said Rhiannon. She turned to Rita. "Good night, Rita. I love you."

"I love you too," said Rita. She and Rhiannon shared a kiss for five seconds.

Once Rhiannon and Charlotte were out the door, Rita turned to her mothers and Jimmy.

"Had a bit of a weird incident that happened at school today," she said. "Most kids at school think I'm part of a really cool family. They're right, I am – and that includes Felicity and Peter, and the kids you, Ruthie, have with Peter. But someone came up to me and said I wasn't in a real family. That a family is a mother, father, and children. Not two mothers. And the fact I had two siblings that are the product of sperm donors makes them even less family. That they're really not siblings."

"That must have hurt, Rita," said Ruthie.

"Not really," said Rita. "It took about three seconds for me to come up with a retort."

"Which was?" asked Jimmy.

"I replied, 'Ever heard of Three Days of the Condor? Well, we're the Four Gays of the Parsonage.'"

It took one second. Ruthie, Hope, and Jimmy all burst into laughter.

"Oh darling," said Hope. "I'm so glad the terrible things your father did to you didn't hurt your sense of humour."

"Frankly," said Rita, "it was a survival instinct. If I didn't know how to laugh, I would have wanted to roll over and die. But I wasn't going to give that man the satisfaction."

"Well, we need to talk for a bit before we go to bed, Ruthie," Hope said to her wife. "Did you want me to heat up the diffuser?"

"Sure," said Ruthie.

"Any preferences for scent?"

"Surprise me."

"Well, I'm not going to bed yet," said Rita, "but I'm going to go on my church e-mail account. A few kids in Sunday school class asked me to follow up on some concerns they had from my last class lecture, and I need to respond to them."

"You're a valuable part of the pastoral team," said Ruthie, "as well as your siblings who can talk. You'll be doing the sermon in a few weeks. You know what reading is in the lectionary. Any ideas?"

"I'm going over that with Felicity and Aunt Tammy," said Rita. "I'll have a draft ready for Shelby's review on Saturday. Once she offers her edits, I'll polish it into a speech that works."

"You're a smart girl," said Jimmy. "Maybe I haven't said this enough, but I like you. You're a wonderful sister for my daughter and for Doug, and if they could speak, they would say thank you."

"Thanks, Jimmy," said Rita. "Well, good night, girls. I love you. Good night, Jimmy. Thanks for being a friend."

As Rita and Hope went to their respective bedrooms, Ruthie and Jimmy went downstairs to where Elizabeth and Douglas were lying in their cribs. Jimmy reached for Douglas' bottle, that had Hope's mother's milk inside, and started feeding him. Meanwhile, Ruthie opened up her maternity bra, and lifted up Elizabeth to her bosom.

"Thanks for not minding my doing this," Ruthie said.

"Why would I mind the mother of my daughter feeding her?" asked Jimmy, surprised. "Breastfeeding is an entirely normal biological function. I don't understand all the prudes that call for modesty in public. If a baby need to be fed, feed him or her. I'll never have a problem with that, You're both beautiful."

"Thanks," said Ruthie. "But I'm glad we're alone, Jimmy, because there's something that's been on my mind, and I need to bring it up."

"What is it?" asked Jimmy.

"Rita."

"What about her?"

"Between you helping Hope and me out, driving us and our babies to our doctor's appointments, and helping with the chores, you've been remarkable," said Ruthie. "You are a natural father, and you wear it well. But I'm worried that you and Rita may be getting too close. Her birth father betrayed her in the worst possible way, and although she has made a remarkable recovery the last year or so, she's still fragile. She told me that you might let her down in some way, and she might not be able to deal with it. The point is, Jimmy, Rita is not your daughter. I'm not sure you can call her your protégée, either. Make no mistake, you're a positive male influence on her, which she was lacking for most of her life. But there are some things that only Hope and I can offer her. Please don't take that the wrong way, but ..."

"I totally get it, Ruthie," said Jimmy. "Look, if the three of you have concerns, then let me take you out to dinner, at a family style restaurant. We can talk about some formal ground rules which I can respect. I want this house to run as smoothly as possible. The last thing I would ever want would be to hurt your daughter, in any way."

"Alright," said Ruthie. "We'll do that sometime next week." Having finished feeding Elizabeth, she put her infant daughter back in her crib, and reattached her bra. "Well, they're in good hands with you. The bottle with my milk is filled up, right? I can whip out this baby if I have to now."

"No, it's good," said Jimmy, smiling. "If I run out and Liz needs a late night feeding from you, well, that's what the baby monitor is for. Good night, Ruthie. Thanks for letting me be a father."

"You're welcome," said Ruthie. "And, to answer something you asked the other day, I need a break from having children. I had four in just fifteen months. I gave birth to Jane and Randal, adopted Rita, and then had Elizabeth. I'm just tuckered out in that department. Maybe in six, seven years, I'll be ready to try again. Until then, I can't. My body and my mind can't handle that."

"It's your call," said Jimmy. "When you're ready, I'll provide some fresh goop."

"Thanks," said Ruthie. "Good night, Jimmy. And thank you for being a father."

Ruthie kissed Elizabeth on her forehead, gently rubbed Douglas's nose, then headed upstairs.

It took less than a minute after Ruthie entered her and Hope's bedroom than the wives were removing each other's clothes. They worked their way up and down each other's bodies. At about the half hour mark, Ruthie was munching on Hope's private parts, when there was a knock at the door.

"Tell her to go away," moaned Hope.

Ruthie lifted her head, and said, "She knew this was our sex night. But we promised her when we adopted her that we'd be there for her, day and night. It must be important."

Groaning, Hope rolled off the bed and put on her housecoat. After Ruthie did the same, she said to Rita she could come in. Rita entered. She was wearing a translucent nightgown, a birthday present from Rhiannon. Her mothers were initially surprised by this, but they remembered they and Felicity had vowed they would never let any of their daughters to ever be shamed for their choice in dress, whether in their houses or out.

Observing her mothers were sweating, Rita said, "Well, at least I can tell my friends my mothers have great sex. Um, sorry to disturb you, girls, but I have a phone call from Buffalo. The woman wouldn't give her name, but she said she has some important information about Grandpa."

"Dad?" asked Ruthie. "Put it on speaker."

Rita obliged.

"This is the Reverend Ruthie Camden," said Ruthie. "I have my wife, the Reverend Hope Camden beside me, and our daughter, Rita. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Good evening, Reverends," said the woman. "I apologize for calling so late, but there's been a major development, and it affects your father. I thought it was important you get all the facts than some misinformation."

"Go ahead," said Hope.

"Let me introduce myself first," said the woman. "My name is Allison Slater. I have been assigned Eric Camden's file, have been since he came to Buffalo to deal with the charges regarding Daphne Grayson."

"I thought the file was being handled by Michael Peterson," said Ruthie.

"Michael is the Assistant District Attorney," said Allison. "I'm with the New York State CPS. I'm handling the child protection side of the matter."

"Okay," said Rita. "Thanks for the clarification, but how does Grandpa figure into this?"

"May I address you by your first names, Reverends?"

"Yes," said Ruthie and Hope together.

"Hope, I understand you are an apologetic. You and the Reverend Felicity Hunter have been going after many televangelists for years."

"It's an uphill battle," said Hope. "But it gives us purpose. Telling people about what the Bible actually says is satisfactory. If it gets some people to look at preachers in a different light, then that's the point."

"Then you are familiar with the Chapel on Tottenham Road," said Allison.

"Yes," said Ruthie. "Many years ago, the last time my parents had a falling out, Dad moved to Buffalo to be with his brother George. The founder of the Chapel had died and he was asked to be interim moderator until they could find a new minister."

"They eventually found one, a few months after Eric and Annie reconciled," said Allison. "And apparently, the church did a one eighty. It went from being a very conservative megachurch to one of the most progressive. But when I spoke to Eric recently, some time after he was bailed out by a friend who still lives in this city, he said that Hope and Felicity don't care for their brand of evangelicalism either."

"It's vanilla fudge. All sweetness and no substance," said Hope. "Christianity is a very hard religion, forcing people to make tough choices. Especially the corporal acts of mercy. It's not enough to be 'saved,' you have to walk the talk. They make it seem too easy. Even easier than a stupid Cheshire Cat from Houston makes it look."

"I would agree," said Allison. "I'm an atheist, but I've read the Bible. It's not an easy path at all."

"So why are you calling us?" asked Ruthie.

"Three days ago, acting on several complaints, the Chapel was raided by deputies with the Erie County Sheriff's Office," said Allison. "There are major accounting irregularities, which the IRS is probing. Several ministers were arrested, along with about a dozen Sunday school teachers. They're facing charges of sexual harassment and child molestation, on top of the tax counts. One of the teachers that was arrested supervises the Sunday school class that Daphne is in."

It took five seconds for the mothers and Rita to absorb this. Then Rita lit up.

"Wait," she said, "Daphne was molested by two different people?"

"I'm not sure about that," said Allison. "But there is a major problem that the ADA and I have been facing, even before this news broke."

"Which is?" asked Ruthie.

"When Daphne made her complaint against Eric," said Allison, "a rape kit was done, as you know. But whoever was in charge of storage was asleep at the switch. The evidence room is supposed to be climate controlled, but there was a major SNAFU. Your cousin's sample, along with about a hundred other rape kits, were compromised. They're totally useless. Meaning, it's only her word against your father's. We at CPS, as well as the DA, are devastated. We don't know what to do."

"What does Daphne have to say?" asked Hope,

"We haven't approached her yet," said Allison. "We're been bombarded with several hundred calls complaining about the church, and we don't know how to cope. But I have a hunch about what's really been going on."

"And what is that?" asked Rita.

"Early depositions indicated there was a climate of fear at the Chapel," said Allison. "That the Sunday school teachers were very controlling, and students were afraid of speaking up. I'm wondering if Daphne was abused by her teacher, but she was afraid to call him out, and when her parents deduced she had been molested, she deflected the accusations to your grandfather."

"Oh Dad," moaned Ruthie. "How could she do that to him?"

"It happens more often than you think," said Allison. "I guess the reason why I'm calling is I need advice on how to proceed. I'm going to have to talk to Daphne about this. Any ideas?"

After several seconds of silence, Rita replied, "Don't spook her. You give even a hint she got her facts mixed up, she'll double down. Instead, ask her about the environment she experienced in that class. And if any of her classmates confided in her that they had been molested or harassed. Let her tell her story in her own way. If she got it wrong and is willing to clear the record, she'll talk, but only if she knows she's safe with you, and that CPS will handle it in the best way they can."

"Okay," said Allison. "Today's Tuesday. I'll seek her out. And I'll get in touch. If you don't hear from me by one on Friday my time, call me at my direct line: 716-555-8490."

"Will do," said Hope. "And Allison? I've dealt with churches like this before, though nothing on this scale. They have a heightened sense of entitlement, and will defend their turf by any means necessary. Even my parents, as awful as they were, weren't close to this level of depravity. So watch yourself, please. If you have a gun, have it on you at all times."

"I'll take the advice. Good night, ladies," said Allison. She ended the call.

"That's a lot to take in," said Rita to her mothers. "I feel like hot chocolate. Did you want some?"

"Won't say no to that," said Ruthie.

Mothers and daughter walked to the kitchen. As Rita heated up the kettle, she said, "Ruthie, Hope? There's something on my mind about what we just heard, and I have to say it."

"What is it?" asked Ruthie.

"Since Daphne came to our house and said she had been molested, I've been having a hard time with that. You'll remember I freaked out when she told us. But after the California charges against Grandpa were dropped, I've had my doubts. I don't think Daphne would lie on purpose, but I think someone may have coached her."

"What?" asked Hope.

"I'm thinking there are two possibilities," said Rita.

"Option one: Her Sunday school teacher molested her, and when she confronted the teacher, or confided with one of the ministers, she was warned off and said she would have to pin the blame on someone else. Since Grandpa spends a lot of time in Buffalo, he was an obvious target.

"Or option two: Grandpa and George had a falling out about something. It was so nasty that it would be impossible to make up. And things weren't that great between George and his daughter, either. So he molested her, and told Daphne to blame Grandpa."

"Both of those possibilities are gross," said Ruthie. "I'd rule out the second one, though, because George and Patty Mary were trying for nearly five years to have a child, and only finally conceived Daphne because Dad offered to pay for a fertility cycle, which worked. Families have squabbles, but I don't think it could have gotten that bad. But if it is the first one, she has to name names. Dad doesn't deserve to have that hanging over his head."

"I'll do some research when we get to work tomorrow," said Hope. "There might be something in my files, and Felicity's, that might give some insight into that church."

By that time, the mugs of hot chocolate were ready. Rita served her mothers, then sat down with her cup. She had one more thing on her mind.

"You may be wondering," she said, "why I'm still calling you by your given names, and not 'Mom'?

"No, we totally understand," said Ruthie. "You still feel loyalty to the mother who gave you birth, who tried to protect you from your father's worst abuses. That's fine. As long as you acknowledge us as your mothers, we, James and Heather won't push you on that. When you're ready, you're ready. But we would ask that, when you are ready for that word, and so you don't get us mixed up, you would address as 'Mom Ruthie' and 'Mom Hope.'"

"I can do that," said Rita. "In the meantime, know I love you both very much. Thanks for taking me on. I came to you high maintenance, but thanks to you, I'm not a 'young woman,' but a girl again. Until I become an adult at eighteen, I just want to be a girl."

"You've earned that," said Hope. "And know this, we hope you won't get intimate with Rhiannon for a long time; but when you are ready, let us know, and we'll find a way to give you two your space, so you don't just have sex, you two will make love, and will be each other's forever. And we love you, Rita. We always will."

The three began to drink their from their mugs. As they did so, they had the same prayer, that Eric would be vindicated once and for all, and that he would be healed of his terminal illness.