By this point she had been going a while and the lobby had pretty much cleared. As I looked over and saw Tina and Dana shielding Alice from the wrath of Porter I could hold it no longer, the whole situation was absurd and I released a chuckle from my throat. With that I received a death look from Bette and the rest of the group released the hysterics that had been building.

We laughed so hard that I did not realise that the attention of the group had started to waver. Bette and Peggy were now looking over my shoulder with their mouths slightly agape and the other started to follow suit.

I grinned at Rach as I turned to see what had them all so captivated and crouched just in time to scoop up the bundle of love that ran into my arms. I walked with Rachel away from my friend toward the stern looking woman waiting for us.

Rachel took Holly from my arms as I embraced her thanking her for everything she had done. She smiled and hugged us all in return informing us that she would see us in two weeks to finalise before handing us a document folder and leaving us.

I kissed the young innocent face that smiled, well grinned, back at me from my wife’s arms as we turned back towards our friends.

I thought back over the afternoon from the interviews to first meeting her. From seeing my parents and actually hearing my father apologise, even if my mother would not even look at me. The part where Mrs Fletcher, the stern looking social worker, had told us our parents had consented to our guardianship and subsequent adoption of their youngest daughter. And the part where she lightly held my hand and Rachel’s and explained with happiness that she was glad she would be able to come with us today and stay in our care until a final visit in two weeks when we would be able to return home taking her with us. I picked up the tiny bag that passed as all of her possessions and introduced the new member to the rest of our family.

“Everyone this is Holly, Holly meet your family.”

With that we moved, taking the stairs of course, up to Peggy’s suite and told our tale and celebrated and welcomed, had fun and ate till we were stuffed. I looked around and knew I couldn’t wait to go home to our house to life and business and restaurants and wedding plans, even relishing what I knew would be a fierce battle of wills with Helena Peabody and whatever she was up to in our absence. I would fight and she would lose she was lacking and I would prove it.

Every one started to make noises about leaving and I hoisted a now sleeping Holly into my arms and felt Rachel’s hand in mine. As we went to the door I heard her start to speak in a much calmer tone that earlier.

“To my family, my sisters and nieces and nephews and especially to Holly my newest Niece. You will probably never know what these amazing women went through to get you here but know that you are the luckiest girl alive. I will make sure one day you hear the story of the bravest most strong and determined and resilient women I have ever had the pleasure to know and how the travelled the world to bring you home to them.”

With tears in my eyes I embraced her and realised that for the first time in two years my tears were those of joy. I stepped back grinning at Bette and thanking her for her words before leaving the room with my wife and child.