Yes, they're back! Hope you enjoy this. Usual disclaimers apply.

xXx

WEDNESDAY

"Wow, six months already! Are you doing anything special?"

I smiled. Kate and I were cutting out some bird and butterfly masks for the kids while they were in music class, affording us the only free period of the day.

"I think we're going out to dinner this weekend. Some fancy place in Port Angeles. He's been pretty adamant about it."

"I don't know how you can talk to him coherently. I still stutter like an idiot when he's around," she said, laughing.

"Hey, it happens to me sometimes too." I grinned. "Sometimes I can't believe he's with me." Carlisle and I had been dating since September; all it took was a simple Sunday dinner date, and we were both goners. We just knew we were each others' soul mates. How very sappy – but true.

We had shared so much over these six months, everything from favorite books and movies, to intimate details and our life stories – his parents had passed away when he was young and had put himself through medical school, I told him about my horribly abusive ex-boyfriend and being unable to have children.

It was right after I dropped that little bomb that he took me in his arms, said that we could always adopt, and we had made love for the first time. I knew it then - Carlisle was perfect for me.

The chiming bell cut through my little daydream and I checked my watch. It was time to go get the kids. Kate offered to bring them back while I tidied up the room. When my students came in, I sat them on the mats for story time before lunch.

While I read them The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, in preparation for spring and butterflies, I noticed this tiny noise coming from the group I glanced at their faces. Alice, Bella, Emmett, Mike, Lauren… the front row spectators and most of the other children were listening with rapt attention. The noise – a very annoying hum – continued. Then I spotted the culprit.

Jacob Black. The newest addition to my classroom since January had brought a certain je ne sais quoi to the group. It often translated as unruliness, disruption, and attention-seeking, hiding an otherwise very sweet boy.

The sweet boy was humming under his breath while he ran his hands through his hair, scratching his scalp here and there. I eyed Kate and gestured towards Jake. She tapped his shoulder as a cue for him to stop what he was doing. He looked at me sheepishly and I smiled, continuing with the read aloud.

When the story was over, the children washed their hands and got their lunchboxes. This was one of the most relaxing times during our day, since we got to sit down with our own snacks too. Once the kids were settled in, Kate and I sat at the desk, burrowing through our own lunch bags.

"So, do you think he'll ask you to move in or something?" Kate asked with an eyebrow raised. She laid out some Tupperware containers and waited for my answer.

I nearly choked on my sandwich. "Move in? Where did you get that?"

"Oh, I don't know." Kate glanced behind her as Emmett sidled up to us, holding up a package of cookies. She opened it for him and turned back to me. "I have this feeling, the way he looks at you, the way you look at him… I mean, you either stay at his place or he spends the night at yours practically every day."

"So at this point, you think moving in would be merely a formality?" I snorted. "Honey, please." I scanned over the group of kids, making sure everything was alright. I noticed Jacob was still scratching his head like crazy. What was wrong with that kid?

Then it hit me. Uh-oh.

"Kate? I think Jacob's got lice."

"What?" she hissed. I nodded my head towards Jake, and sure enough, he was picking at his head in frustration. I called him over.

"Sweetheart, can you hold still for a second?" I combed cautiously through Jake's hair while he fidgeted.

"Oh, yeah. There they are," Kate sighed. We both peered at the top of Jacob's head and spotted the telltale white dots that meant nits had made a home of his beautiful black hair. Dammit.

I felt the insane urge to scratch my own head while I sent Jake to the nurse with Kate so his dad could pick him up. Now the whole class would have to be inspected and we had to inform all parents, just in case. This meant haircuts for the boys, and tightly braided hair for the girls. Rose's parents had not been happy when Emmett had taken scissors to their daughter's beautiful blonde locks. I bet this would go over just swell.

Kate came back while I watched Edward share his apple slices with Bella. I was zoning out, imagining the upcoming weekend I was spending with Carlisle. She scratched her own head absentmindedly as she sat down.

"I had Shelly check my hair while I was there. I'm clear." She smiled and reached for her food. "Wait, where's my lunch?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my reverie. The desktop was clear of her lunch containers. "They were just here. I don't know what happened." We peeked under the desk, searched her lunch bag again.

"I'm starving, I brought leftover Indian takeout, it's Wednesday –"

"Miss Platt? Emmett's not feeling okay," Jasper called out.

"What is it?" I glanced at Emmett and saw he was literally sweating, his eyes tearing up and red in the face. I thought he might be choking on his cookies, and I panicked for a second, getting ready to Heimlich him, but he could speak.

"Burns! It burns!" Emmett fanned at his mouth with his hands frantically.

"What burns, honey?" Then I spotted Kate's open food container, where Emmett had made inroads in some spicy-looking curry. Mystery solved. His own lunch box emptied, he had gone searching for unattended food.

"Here, drink your juice, Em." I handed him the box and shook my head over him.

"I think he'll need milk," Kate said, coming over. "I'll take him to the cafeteria for a carton. Or two." She shook her head as well and led Emmett out of the room.

The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully after that. Right after the kids went home, my cell phone rang to the tune of "Cosy in the Rocket." As always, I snickered; Carlisle had programmed it himself.

"Hey, Esme." His sweet, deep voice filled my ear and I relaxed, smiling.

"Hi! How was your day?"

"Pretty calm today. You?"

"Oh, it was interesting." I gathered my things while I pressed the phone to my ear, winking goodbye at Kate as she left. "You wanna come over tonight?"

"Sure. Movie, dinner, your place?" I heard another doctor being paged over the hospital's PA system.

"Um, dinner sounds great. We'll see about the movie, we might be too tired," I laughed, my mind going naughty places.

"Okay, we'll see," Carlisle agreed, and I could practically see him wagging his eyebrows playfully. "See you later, darling. Love you."

"Love you too." I ended the call. I couldn't wait to get home.

xXx

"Guess the movie's out?" Carlisle joined me on the bed, spooning me from the back.

"I'm sorry, I really am beat. How come you're not more tired? You're a doctor," I mumbled into my pillow as he reached over my body to turn off the lamp.

"I don't know. But I asked to have all weekend off to celebrate our little anniversary. How does that sound?" He nuzzled my bare shoulder and kissed it gently.

"That's great. Really great. Can't wait…" My voice trailed away as I drifted off, only feeling as Carlisle's arm slid over my waist and held me closer to his chest. He murmured soft words into the back of my neck before he pressed a kiss there, and my body relaxed, knowing it was really home.

xXx

Haven't written anything in a while. As usual, I find the urge at 3 AM. Please review! Thanks for reading!