Penny had wasted no time in getting everything sorted out, while Sam had used the time and written a letter of complaint on her behalf on her laptop. Impressed, Penny had read it and signed it at the end, and he wisely had it in his pocket now, along with a letter from their station officer, who assured that Penny would be able to arrange her working hours to be able to take care of the children in the future. Steele had been surprised when Sam had explained the events of the last two days to him, especially since he was still missing the mission report from that night, but he had been irrevocably on the side of his two team leaders. Sam had promised him that he would take care of the report the next day, but first there were two children to free from the clutches of the authorities and Steele was happy to let him go and give him the letter in case the youth welfare office would be not convinced and Penny needed to have more support.

Now they were standing in front of the door to Mrs. Winterbottom's office - at least according to the nameplate next to it. Sam looked at Penny again questioningly, but she just nodded and he knocked on the office door. But he didn't miss the fact that she took another deep breath before they heard a quiet but stern 'Come in!'.

"Miss Morris. I didn't think we'd see each other again so soon," Mrs. Winterbottom stated as the two entered and she leaned back in her chair almost with pleasure, placing her fingertips together waiting as she watched the two firefighters approached her desk.

"I do and your boss will hear from me too. But now I want to have the children back," Penny replied coldly and pulled a copy of the complaint letter to the older woman's boss out of her pocket and threw it at her desk.

"How can you be so bold and storm my office just because you desperately want a family? I've told you everything there is to say about it and now get out!" the older woman hissed at her and took the letter at hand, not to read it, but to tear it up and throw it into the trash can next to her.

Surely she thought they had some kind of documentation in there that would legitimize her actually having the children, but the older woman wasn't going to let this unruly and impudent firefighter get away with it.

"Sam, did you hear how nice the lady was to me just now?" she remarked calmly, something Mrs. Winterbottom hadn't expected at all and therefore narrowed her eyes skeptically when Penny crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I did, Penny. Her boss probably won't be very pleased that she talks to her clients like that," Sam confirmed with a satisfied smile and also crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're not a client. You're a nuisance!" complained the officer and pointed to the door. "Get out now! You'll never see the children again!"

"Mrs. Winterbottom, you're not doing yourself any favors right now. Should I get them involved, Pen?" Sam asked Penny with a grin and Penny also smiled contentedly, which made the woman in front of them a little nervous.

"You're welcome, Sam."

"What's this? Who else are you bringing with you?" she asked uneasily and began to shift back and forth in her chair when an older couple and another man and a woman entered, all of whom looked at her grimly "Are you trying to do something to me?" she stammered anxiously, already expecting the worst. Her hand was already moving to the button on her phone that would alert security.

"We want to pick up the children who, according to these birth certificates and our IDs, are our two grandchildren and are therefore proven to be the nephew and niece of our daughter Penny Morris, who wants to take them in," Penny's mother Eira now spoke up and slammed a stack of papers on the table in front of the woman, which she hesitantly took to read through. Her eyes widened more and more as she discovered Penny and Arwen's birth certificates, as well as those of the children and the marriage certificate of Arwen Chesterfield, née Morris. Malcolm had gotten them the last three to make up for being exposed.

"That's not possible?!" murmured the youth welfare office employee, stunned. She had no choice.

"As fate would be involved, aye?" Sam said with a shrug. "So? Where are they?"

"I told you that I would check it and it just takes time!" she replied snidely and put the papers in a pile. Her hands were tied, but that didn't mean she had to dance to their tune. She would at least buy a little more time so that they finally understood that no one should so easily ignore the rules set by the state.

"You are acting purely arbitrarily here because you noticed that I didn't follow the rules and you feel ignored. The children roamed through the wilderness for a week. Alone and on their own. They were fine with me and leaving them with me longer wouldn't have hurt anyone until you did the tests. Instead, you had them taken away by police force. The children not only lost their mother, but also the only caregivers they had ever opened up to. Are you just a human?!" Penny now protested and had to restrain herself from reaching across the table and grabbing the woman by the collar to shake sense into her, but Sam put a hand on her shoulder and she immediately calmed down without actually wanting to.

No one took notice of the man who had entered the room during Penny's speech and was also shielded from Mrs. Winterbottom's eyes by the angry Morris family.

"I have to comply with regulations that are in the best interests of the children..." she began to defend her actions with her eyes narrowed in warning. She wasn't going to be intimidated by this firefighter.

"Not helpful in this case, Mrs. Winterbottom," the man now interrupted, and Mrs. Winterbottom visibly flinched as everyone else turned to him. "I'm sorry, but Miss Morris has every right to be disappointed in your actions. In a cases like this, when the children are so traumatized, you can just turn a blind eye if it means that it would be the best for the children," he exclaimed as he spoke, while the Morris family and Sam, making room for him, to walk up to her desk and threw the file onto the woman's desk, which they also had sent to him along with the report this morning. The blonde woman with the blue tips had just called in and asked him to look at the file because her cousin was in the house complaining to Mrs. Winterbottom. He was actually shocked to hear how much more extreme his oldest employee had been in this case than she had stated in her own report. There was no excuse for this, but he had to at least try, especially if they really were the orphan family like the blonde-blue-haired woman had assured him."Miss Morris. May I take a quick look at the documents? I am familiar with your case as Miss Winterbottom left her report on my desk this morning and I think..." He had grabbed the papers from the desk when Mrs. Winterbottom had wanted to quickly but discreetly shove it into a drawer and gave her a warning look. He quickly scanned the birth certificates with a practiced eye. "Yes, definitely, she did wrong. It's a pleasure for me to be able to hand the children back to you. I'll take care of everything," he then remarked and gave Mrs. Winterbottom a warning look at who was already opening her mouth to protest. But she now sank back in her chair in a huff, while her supervisor waved his hand at the family to follow him and led them to a waiting area. "Please wait here. I'll call the orphanage right away and let them know that they have to get the children over here. I'll finish all the papers myself in that time," he turned to them again and shook hands with everyone one by one until he came to Penny.

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly but genuinely relieved that everything would be okay for the children now. The man shrugged it off awkwardly and smiled kindly at her gratitude before turning to Sam and extending his hand too.

"We have something here for your records, sir," Sam now interjected as he reached into his back pocket and handed over the letter of complaint along with additional copies of the birth certificates and Steele's certificate, which he accepted with a nod and examined. The smile disappeared as he read the first lines of the letter and quickly scanned what his colleague had done.

"Believe me, I think it's time for Mrs. Winterbottom to leave the field service and I will do so today. Something like this must never happen again. We are always at your side with emotional support if the children need it because of the incident," he promised them with an intense look that showed them that he was true to his word. They had finally come across someone who was passionate about his job.

"We'll get back to it if we need to, but I think a loving family will help them enough for now," Penny replied with a smile and he agreed with her before apologizing and disappearing. He hadn't really disappeared around the next corner when Penny could no longer contain her joy and spun around to Sam. "We did it, Sam!" she said, almost unable to believe her luck, only hesitated briefly and finally hugged him. Sam was only too happy to accept this, but the next moment he looked up into the broad grinning faces of Annie and Penny's brother, just as Penny looked up into those of her parents, who were standing behind Sam. Embarrassed, they separated from each other.

"So what's up with you two now that Sam is already living with you?" Annie demanded an answer and Sam and Penny were taken aback.

"He doesn't live with me!" Penny stated confusedly, whose parents and brother now also seemed quite interested in this fact.

"Then why did he open the door for me when you were in bed?" Annie asked skeptically and Penny lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Because I helped her with the children and after they took them away, Penny was so sad that I certainly wouldn't have left her alone," Sam jumped to her side, who never had a problem with Annie, but in this one moment found her probing questions, which embarrassed Penny in front of her parents, more than inappropriate.

"Why not?" Annie replied with a grin, but glared at him challengingly.

"Because I'm there for her. Always!" Sam stated seriously to justify his behavior.

"Because you're a good friend?" Annie asked and Penny suspected what her cousin was after. She was torn as to whether she should stop her so as not to make things uncomfortable for Sam too.

"Yes!" Sam replied without hesitation and with determination, finding Annie's scrutiny a challenge.

"Because you love her?" Annie asked the next question and Penny opened her mouth to protest, but Sam was quicker.

"More than my life!" Sam confirmed without thinking, but immediately stopped when he realized what he had said. Annie had always been too good at exposing others. "Uhm...I mean...Well, I..." Sam stammered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck while everyone else had a big grin on their faces. Only Penny looked at him in surprise.

"Ha! Got you," Annie now exclaimed triumphantly and visibly proud of herself, which earned her a skeptical look from her cousin. "What? The spontaneous answers are always the most honest!" she defended herself and Penny just shook annoyed with her head at her cousin's behavior while Sam still stood there awkwardly, looking like he would rather sink into a hole in the ground than be here.

"Sam, is it true what Annie..." she started as she grabbed his hand, ready to put him out of his embarrassment by confessing her feelings to him too.

"Penny! Sam!" a recently heard but still well-known voice interrupted them loudly and full of joy and they turned to Nickie, who ran towards them beaming with joy and jumped into Sam's arms, but also put an arm around Penny's neck and pulled both of them close as he squeezed them.

"Hey, Shorty," Sam laughed as he pulled away from them, hearing the rest of the Morris family sigh loudly but in delight as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Julie?" Sam heard Penny say and turned to her, only to see the girl rubbing her arm, her whole posture clearly showing that she was uncomfortable. Penny crouched down in front of her and took one of her hands. "That will never happen again, Julie. Everything is sorted out. You can stay with me," Penny encouraged her, sensing what was bothering the girl.

"And no one will take us away anymore?" she asked quietly and looked up. Tears stood in her eyes and clearly showed how much had built up inside the girl.

"Never again!" Penny promised her with a smile and now a smile appeared on the girl's face before she hugged Penny.

"Is Sam staying too?" she then asked Penny as the woman who had brought the children said goodbye, wished them well and Penny stood up with Julie in her arms.

"Oh, I, um..." Sam stammered awkwardly again, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. What should he say so as not to upset Penny, but also not to disappoint the children? They weren't together and just because Annie had just teased the truth out of him, he still didn't know how Penny felt about it.

"Yes, Penny. Is Sam staying too?!" Annie teased behind them with a cheeky grin and they turned to her.

"Annie!" Penny admonished her cousin, but her smile took away the seriousness of her words. "I'll leave the decision to Sam, but... I would be very happy if that's what he wants," she then said embarrassed, but didn't dare look him in the eyes, but then she did though. "Thanks, Sam. For everything," she then objected and her red cheeks and the love in her eyes showed him everything he needed to know.

"I'm always here for you. That will never change, Pen," he answered her, well aware that they had an audience, but Penny read the silent promise in his eyes.

"Are you getting married too?" Nickie interjected, seeming excited about what was going on between his aunt and her boyfriend, while Sam reached for Penny's hand and they intertwined their fingers.

"Let's see. If Penny wants...?!" he answered the boy with new courage that her touch and her look gave him, who became a little more loving at his words. She seemed almost touched as he threatened to sink into her beautiful eyes, just as she did into his. They were completely captivated by the moment.

"Are you kissing now?" Julie snapped them out of it and they turned their attention to her with blinking eyes, almost as if they had just woken up from a particularly beautiful dream.

"Why should we do that?" Penny asked her niece awkwardly, trying to cover up the moment. Julie answered her by raising an eyebrow and leaning forward enough on her arm to look at their still clasped hands.

"Because you like him," Nickie clarified meanwhile, still sitting on Sam's arm, he placed a fist on his hip while he still had his other arm resting on Sam's shoulder and said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world."And so do we!" he then interjected to make his own point of view clear, which Julie confirmed with a nod.

"That's an extremely good reason, of course!" Penny said with a grin and looked up at Sam, who was immediately infected by her good mood. "And at least we already have a flower girl and the ring bearer for the wedding," she asked then firmly grinning.

"Aww, James and Sarah are going to be so disappointed," he replied to her in a mock disappointed tone, but his grin belied his words.

"There are two rings and you can never have enough flowers," remarked Julie, who didn't want to mess with Sam's nephew and niece.

"Of course you're right, Julie," Penny replied with a soft laugh and put the girl down, just as Sam did with Nickie, when the head of the office came back and handed Penny a few papers to sign.

She quickly did this and put the copies of the letters in her pocket while the man said a warm farewell to all of them and especially to the children. They've wasted enough time here in this office. It was time to go home. The fact that her family remained so calm, albeit all grinning, in the background while the children tried to set them up also made her uneasy. She knew that they were all more than enjoying this and would definitely tease her about it for a long time.

"Are you having children then?" Nickie asked her on the way out.

"Who knows?" Penny remarked sheepishly, giving Sam a cautious sideways glance, who seemed anything but shocked by the idea.

"Well, cousins ​​are certainly not as annoying as little brothers," Julie said with a shrug, making everyone laugh.

"Better not ask Norman Price!" Sam said with a laugh, thinking about how he and Derek often treated each other.

"Or me!" Penny sighed and glanced over her shoulder at her cousin, who now grinned even wider. "What are you doing here at all, Annie?" she then asked her cousin. She just called her parents. She had no more intention of Annie coming along than her brother, who happened to be at her parents' house when she had called. But this gave the children enough time to get to know their family, who unfortunately they had never been able to meet. Penny spontaneously decided to invite them to dinner to give them all more time today and maybe she would be able to get a quiet moment to talk to Sam briefly and to be able to tell him her feelings openly.

"She doesn't want to miss the show any more than we do. Come on now, you two! Let's get something to eat so we can finally spend time with our grandchildren, but first of all: isn't there still a kiss left?", threw Penny's mother at them, as if she had read her thoughts and clapped her hands in euphoria at the last sentence.

"Mum!" Penny admonished her mother, embarrassed by her brash behavior, which didn't necessarily serve to create the right mood.

"If they want it so badly, how could we say no?" asked Sam quietly, who had held the door open for everyone and was now taking advantage of the fact that they had reached the end of the group that still had turning their backs to them, pulled her close and sink into her eyes again.

"You're right, Sam," she replied with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck as their lips met and they lost each other in the moment - much to the delight of their adult family members, who turned to them at that moment.

"Urgh. Do they do that more often now?" Nickie simply commented, making everyone laugh, including Penny and Sam, before they separated just enough so that each of them could take one of the children by the hand and go into their new life together.

THE END