Disclaimer; obviously I am not the owner of Twilight. If I were, I would be chilling on an island somewhere.

Not beta'd all mistakes are mine.

Longer AN at the end.

"Mom I want to go back to Forks," Nessie repeats for the billionth time just that evening and Isabella does her absolute best to curb the oncoming frustration toward her six year old daughter.

"I know you do sweetheart, but this is the best move for us right now. I have a new, better paying job at your new school which means we get to spend more time together." She pauses in her conversation momentarily to check for any oncoming cars before making a right on red. "There's nothing left for us in Forks," she adds quietly; mostly to herself.

"Daddy is."

Isabella inhales sharply. One glance in the rearview mirror reveals the little girl pouting in her booster seat; tiny fingers fiddling with the handmade stuffed wolf her father had given her last Christmas. Of course the mother had thought the deformed this belonged in the trash, but her daughter absolutely refused to let it out of her sight for even a second.

She taps the steering wheel in thought. She hated to see her youngest, and only, child like this but when a new job opportunity open up in Los Angeles with better pay and hours she had to take it. "Nessie I already promised you that you could spend Christmas break with daddy. Remember?" The brunette tried again to console her daughter.

"Yeah I remember," she mumbles under her breath. "But it's so far away from now."

Isabella worries her bottom lip when the car's inhabitants share a tense silence.

"Ok, since it's your last day of summer vacation how about we visit the coffee shop you like so much? I'll let you order whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?"

"Within reason," the brunette playfully scolds.

Nessie is quiet for a moment as she appears to mull her mothers offer around in her head. Finally, the corners of her mouth begin to quirk into a hesitant smile. "Ok."

Isabella can't help but to mirror her smile as she makes the U-turn necessary to head over to the other side of town. Even though she had been settling into the dry California air for two weeks, it never ceases to amaze her how barren this landscape was compared to the lush forest of Washington. Isabella would be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss Forks as well. But as a mother, she felt she did not have the luxury to complain about leaving everything behind. She had to be strong; for her daughters sake.

"Alright everyone out," she made it to the cafe in record timing for it was not quite rush hour yet. Nessie did not need to be told twice as she practically rips out of her seatbelt, out the car, and into the small shop.

Isabella opens her mouth to scold the little girls impatience but quickly decides against it. She would let it slide for today.

"Well, if it's not my favorite six year old in the whole entire world!" The barista, Jane, exclaims from behind the counter. Nessie was already well aquatinted with the high schooler that was seemingly never not at work. "Hi Ms. Swan. Great to see you two again, what can I get for you?"

"As promised," the young mother gestures to her only child, "whatever she wants."

"Within reason," the little girl cheekily parrots.

Isabella watches her order a few cake pops and a small hot chocolate, all the while the little girl looks back to make sure she is not overstepping her boundaries. Isabella nods in approval to everything Nessie had asked for.

"Thanks mom! You're the best mom in the world!"

Isabella chuckles out loud while she searches for her wallet in the over packed purse. "I'm not so sure about that, you only seem to say that when I'm buying you something you want." She finally finds the missing item and quickly pays for the food while silently apologizes to Jane the small line that had formed behind them.

She instructs Nessie to take the tray to any table of her liking so that she could grab napkins and sugar packets. She had only turned her back for a second to put her wallet away when she heard the sound of a clattering tray, and the distinct voice of her child's rambling apology. On instinct she all but sprints to the other side of the cafe to investigate what had happened.

There, in the middle of the floor stood her daughter with tears in her eyes, and a very pissed off blonde glaring in her direction. The other woman was tall, but not overtly so, with blonde hair pinned in an intricate low bun, piercing steel eyes flicking angrily between the two, and full lips pressed into a thin line. On closer inspection Isabella could see the remains of the hot chocolate on the, expensive brand looking, skirt that adorned long slender legs.

"Are you going to sit there and ogle at me the entire time," the other woman spats, roughly bringing the young mother out of her thoughts.

She furrows her eyebrows in an attempt to not become upset at this woman's curt words. It had been her daughter who spilled the hot beverage on her, after all. She supposed that anger was a fully justifiable reaction given the circumstances.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm sure she just wasn't paying attention to where she was going and I know she didn't mean it. I have some napkins here I can use to help you clean it up if you would like?"

The woman seemed to do the impossible by looking even more pissed off by her proposition. If looks could kill Isabella was sure she would have been struck down at this very moment.

"Napkins? Do you have any idea how much this material costs? I'd tell you to replace it but something tells me that you may not be able to afford it," she sneers looking down her nose at the brunette.

Isabella can feel her proverbial hackles rising. "Again, we're sorry. If you wish for me to buy you a new one I can." She retorts, just barely keeping her temper under control. Normally, she was very slow to anger. Having children tended to grant one with enough patience to deal with just about anyone. Something about this woman's demeanor, however, was rubbing her the wrong way.

The woman looks the pair over once more before scoffing. "Forget it."

Isabella doesn't look up until she can no longer hear the sound of the blonde's heels clicking against the floor.

"I'm so sorry, she comes in from time to time and has never been particularly well mannered," Jane apologizes as she moves around the counter to assist the young mother in cleaning up.

"I'm sorry mom, I swear it was an accident." The little girls bottom lip trembles as unshed tears threaten to spill.

"It's ok it was nobody's fault," she addresses both Nessie and Jane. "Accidents happen. But can if you can, may I get these to go? I don't think we'll be eating here tonight."

"Of course."

"Nessie we're going to be late," Isabella shouts exasperated from down the hall as she applies her makeup in a hurry. After their little run in yesterday the young mother held a movie marathon with all of her daughters favorites to help improve her mood about starting the first grade. Consequently, it meant that she had stayed up well past bedtime and Isabella was, by no means, a morning person.

"I'm already ready." Nessie leans against the frame of the door not bothering to disguise the amusement in her large brown eyes.

The young mother touches up her lipstick for the last time. "Good, good that's great. Do we have everything? Bookbag? Summer reading? Lunch?" The brunette rattles off from the mental list she was trying to recover on the morning haze.

The young girl nods her head, a slight roll of her eyes following. "Yes mom, we packed everything last night together."

"Excellent. Ok let's go. Get your shoes on."

She was thankful she has chose to rent within the neighborhood, even if it was pricier, so drive to the school was relatively short.

"Hey- oh my goodness do you need help?"

Isabella was barely three feet into the impressively sized elementary school before she was stopped by a man with Asian features. He stood taller than her with tastefully done gelled hair and an immaculate dress pant and button up combination. Compared to her wrinkled skirt and blouse, the young mother briefly wonders if he had missed the turn to his business meeting and accidentally wound up at a school.

He doesn't wait for her to answer before grabbing half of the bags Isabella had hanging hazardously off of her body.

"Thank you," she sighs in relief. Her shoulders and back were beginning to heavily protest at the extra weight. She may have overdone it just a little bit when buying extra items for her class.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckles. "The name's Eric by the way. You must be the new teacher everyone has been talking about." His smile, easy and laid back, was easy for the brunette to return.

"In the flesh. And this is my daughter Nessie." She inclines her head to her left side where her shy daughter stood half covered by her mothers legs. She says nothing to acknowledge the man choosing instead to hide a little further.

"Nessie, that name sounds familiar. I think she may be in my classroom actually. Nice to meet you too." He crouched down to her level and holds his hand out in greeting. The little girl eyes it warily for a moment before tentatively returning the gesture.

"Oh I thought your name sounded familiar. You'll have to excuse me my mind is a bit jumbled right bow. And she's normally very shy when meeting people but when she warms up you'll miss this version. Trust me." Isabella laughs lightly and Eric joins as he straightens himself.

Nessie begins to pout, clearly not entertained with being the center of the joke.

"I see it every year nothing to worry about. First grade is usually a tough transition for kids." He shrugs. "Were you headed to the teachers lounge? I was on my way there before running into you two; I can lead the way if you would like?"

The trio walk leisurely down the halls as Eric points out or explains certain halls, classrooms, and offices. Briefly he touches on some of the other teachers who will inhabit the halls but the young mother is sure she won't remember any of their names.

"Luckily, the first grade hall is pretty close to here so you won't have to go very far to make copies or heat up your lunch." He redirects his attention to the younger girl. "And you're quite possibly the only student allowed in this room too. Luckily you!" He chuckles again to himself as he props the door open.

"I guess that makes me pretty special then." Nessie remarks as she walks around the room touching anything she could reach. Isabella could never figure out why children felt the need to touch anything and everything in their line of sight.

Eric hums in agreement. "So you're here a little early, I'm assuming to put the finishing touches in your room, but we have an assembly in about forty minutes or so. All the kids will go straight there, hear an incredibly boring speech, then we will collect our individual classes and begin the school day."

Isabella nods, appreciative of the information. "Who will lead the assembly?"

He pauses in the pouring of his coffee to think. "Normally it's the principle but recently she's been having Jasper, the vice, do most of the public events. She enjoys running things from her office."

"Sounds charming," she comments.

"Rosalie? Well if you stay well out of her way, she can be. Jasper on the other hand is the definition of a sweet southern gentleman. I don't think he has a mean bone in his body. A real hit with the ladies, just in case your interested," he notes the absence of a ring on her left hand and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Isabella sputters a bit at the suggestion. "Oh dear no, I am very far removed from the proverbial market right now."

Eric nods in understanding. "You say that now," he teases. "But if I weren't married and swung for the other team-"

"What would you do?"

Both teachers turn toward the new voice that entered the room.

She was of medium height and build. Dark brown, almost black hair, was pulled tight into a low bun. The woman gazes at Isabella through thick rimmed glasses before smiling warmly.

"You must be Isabella, it's a pleasure to meet you." Her smile falters as she redirects her gaze to the only man in the room. "I hope my husband wasn't harassing you with absolutely riveting details of the new video game he's been playing."

"Angela," Eric groans. "I was well on my way to making her think I'm actually cool." He pouts.

The brunette lets the laugh slip easily through her lips. Eric's demeanor had switched completely from a smooth talking fellow to one that was more childlike. She had to admit that the latter seemed to fit his softer features. "I thought you were suspiciously too good with getting Nessie to shake your hand so soon. It's actually because you two are just alike."

Angela joins Isabella in a light hearted laughter at her husbands expense. He continues to pout but the telltale signs of his twitching lips reveals that he was just as amused as the two woman.

The clock chimes; gently reminding the brunette that she needed to start setting up if she had any hopes of being ready before assembly.

She exchanges parting words before collecting Nessie and walking towards the general direction of the first grade hall. She finds it quickly enough, and with the help of a second, smaller pair of hands is able to have everything set up in the nick of time. Isabella whisks her daughter down the hall to the assembly room then takes her place among Eric and Angela, as well as a few other teachers.

A tall man with wavy honey brown hair and kind brown eyes soon takes the stage.

"Welcome everyone to another exciting school year," he begins with a certain richness in his voice that makes Isabella's spine tingle. This must be Jasper Hale, she muses to herself.

To her immediate right another teacher snorts. "Of course that bitch would get poor Jasper to do the opening ceremony. I would be surprised if she even makes it out of her office this year," she sneers in a nasally voice.

Another teacher bobs her head in agreement. "Yeah, I know right? If the pay wasn't as good as it is I would have totally quit like last year."

The other teacher hums in response. "It's probably better this way. Word has probably gotten out that she's a big dyke and she doesn't want to scare off any potential parents. That's exactly why I don't send my children here."

Angela wrinkles her nose in disagreement. "Lauren, sweetheart, if you think sending your children to private school is going to shield them from gay people you're heavily mistaken," she chides.

Lauren narrows her eyes. "It most certainly does. I've meet all of the teachers at that school and they have outstanding characters."

The teacher next to Lauren bobs her head in agreement again. "Yeah they're such good people! There's no way that can be like that. I've meet them too." She finishes with a proud smile of her own.

"You think being a a good person and gay are mutually exclusive?" Angela rolls her eyes at the thought. "Actually, never mind. I don't even want to hear you answer that."

Lauren sneers in Angela's general direction again, a retort on the tip of her tongue. She seems to decide against it and chooses instead to refocus her attention on Jasper.

"With that being said, I ask that you all enjoy this school year. Remember, if you do your best you can achieve everything you set out to do. Please remain seated, everyone! Your teachers will come gather you soon at head to home room." Jasper smiles warmly to the students and gestures to the teachers standing at the far side of the room.

Isabella blinks. She had not been aware of how much time had passed while listening to the conversation. She smooths out her skirt, plasters the biggest smile on her face, and sets out to collect her class.

The day had been going particularly well.

After settling into their class she had gone over simple classroom rules and allowed her first graders to begin to design and customize their own name tags. Halfway through, they were interrupted by the bell signaling lunch. The students were reluctant to leave their projects unfinished but she had reassured them that they could continue after recess. She smiles softly at the thought of her classroom. They appeared eager to learn, and she was more than eager to teach. One look around her classroom soon had her grimacing. It has looked like a glitter bomb had gone off. Undoubtedly she would be here well after the final bell cleaning everything up.

Isabella was in the middle of enjoying her leftovers when a swift knock arrives at her door. Before she could mutter out the words 'come in,' the door was swung open with a force that may have put a hole in the wall if the rubber stopper had not been there.

A young woman appearing to be in her mid twenties strolls in; an appreciative whistle leaving pink lips. "Dang Swan, you make the rest of our rooms like awful." The woman releases a laugh and Isabella watches, half startled to death, as her meticulously styled short black hair bobs along to the movement.

"I'm sorry I tried to control her," Angela apologizes as the steps around the shorter woman to enter the room. "I hope she didn't scare you too much?"

"Not terribly," the brunette lies. Truthfully she was still trying to calm her erratically beating heart.

"That's a load of bull. If you've only seen your facial expression when I came in," the woman chuckles to herself. "Anyway you can call me Alice, I teach Related Arts down the hall." She juts her thumb behind her in a general direction.

"I heard a new teacher was coming and wanted to see for myself what the big deal was." Alice shrugs. "They were right though, you really are a cutie."

The young mother doesn't need to look into the mirror to know that she face just became a few shades of red darker.

"Alice!" Angela hisses. "She's harmless I swear." She gives the young mother an apologetic look.

Alice pouts while crossing her arms tightly under her chest. "You never let me have any fun with the new teachers. You're such a goodie two shoes, Angela. Luckily for you, Swan, you don't have to worry about me. I currently have my eyes on one of the most handsome men to have ever graced the earth."

Isabella quirks an eyebrow, the idea of finishing her lunch in peace long gone. "Who?" She can't help but ask.

"Jasper," Angela cuts in with a smug smile.

Alice narrows her eyes at, presumably, her best friend before turning to face the brunette again. "He stole my heart with that sweet southern accent." She sighs wistfully. "The things I would do just to go on one date with him."

"Have you talked to him, maybe tried to see if he is single?" Isabella indulges the shorter woman.

"Oh he's single," Angela comments as she begins to open the lunch she packed for herself. Alice nods her head in agreement as she steals a chicken finger from the other woman.

"Yeah he's single but he's so busy being at Rosalie's every beck and call that he hardly had time to do anything else." She adds with a mouthful of Angela's chicken.

Isabella furrows her eyebrows. "This is the second thing I've heard about her in the few hours I've been here; and neither has been positive. Should I be worried?"

They exchange a look as Alice grimaces and Angela clears her throat. "You shouldn't worry," the latter begins, "but with that being said I would be careful. She very much likes her way of doing things and doesn't stand too much for opposition. That's how the position you're in opened up. As long as you stay out of her way she'll stay out of yours."

She thinks about her next question for only a split second before it comes blurting out. "Is it true? Is she actually a lesbian?"

Alice looks startled for only a second before throwing a head back in a howling laughter.

"No one knows for sure. It's a silly rumor that started to spread a few years back because she is still single." Angela does her best to try to conceal her laugh behind a raised hand.

"Is that a bad thing?" Isabella asks, curiosity getting the best of her.

"It is when you're smoking hot," Alive answers, a deadly serious look on her face. "Im not lezzy but damn even I have to question myself when she struts down the hall in those tight pencil skirts. I'd turn gay for her."

"Alice," Angela chides but not unkindly. "You can't turn gay you either are or you're not not.

"Im just saying," the pixie girl shrugs; a sly smile playing on her lips.

"You don't have the same opinion as Lauren and Jessica have on it, do you?" Angela eyes the young mother warily.

Isabella scrunches her face in thought. "I don't think I've ever met a gay person in my life before but I don't have an issue with it." She shrugs. "It's not my business who people decide to sleep with."

Pleased with her answer Angela resumes her lunch with a hum of agreement.

"I knew I was going to like you, Swan," Alice comments with a slap to the young mothers back. "She's not a scary person. Just don't piss her off." She begins to laugh again.

Isabella mulls this over while she finishes her lunch with the chatter of the other two women in the background.

Isabella frowns as she grades the last few papers in her pile. The school board has insisted that all the first graders in state learn how to write the alphabet with complete accuracy by the end of the first week as well as spell a handful of two, or three letter words.

It had caused her to have to push the young children to write as much as they could in the short time allotted for English per day.

And just as she suspected, her students are struggling to keep up. She had scheduled the test for tomorrow, Friday, and had decided to give a practice quiz today to see where everyone was. Already, she dreaded having to give so many worksheets, tests, and quizzes, but she needed to check their progress.

She sighs once more as she places the last failed test in the pile.

"What's eating you up cupcake?" Alice strolls into her room unannounced for the forth consecutive day that week; the two well on their way to becoming good friends.

"This curriculum," the brunette explains with a touch of exasperation in her tone. "It's too much. They're only six years old, seven at best, and we're already beginning to shove tests down their throats. I don't want my classroom to be a place that my students dread coming to. Nessie doesn't want to come to school tomorrow because she thinks she'll disappoint me if she doesn't do well on the test."

"Will she?"

Isabella frowns. "Oh course not. But there has to be a better way to fit the curriculum in a more interesting productive way."

Alice hums in agreement as she leans against the corner of the other teacher's desk. "Fortunately my job is easy. I just teach kids how to finger paint and make clay structures from time to time. I agree though, you guys have it hard."

They settle into a comfortable silence while the young mother mulls an idea around. "What if I just don't give out the test tomorrow?" She decided to voice it aloud.

"Are you trying to get fired?" Alice deadpans. "You've only been here for a week Swan but I would be lying if I said I didn't like you. If you're replaced with some crusty old hag I will find out where you live and will not let you hear the last of it."

The young mother allows herself to laugh at Alice's attempt of a threat. She could only imagine the barely five foot woman ranting and raving at her doorstep.

"Do you actually think I would be fired or would it just be a little slap on the wrist?"

"Are you seriously considering this?"

"Yes."

Alice sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "If we were at a typical school with a typical principal they may be willing to hear you out and allow you to pilot your own course. Unfortunately for you, this is neither one of those cases. We have become one of the top performing schools in the state since the arrival of the Ice Queen. And just to reiterate one more time, she does not take well to criticism."

"So," Isabella drawls.

"So im not saying it's a definite but it's very high up on the list of possibilities."

The first grade teacher leans back in the chair with a sharp inhale.

"Don't tell me you're still considering it."

Her door flies open for the second time this lunch period. Isabella briefly wonders if door abuse is a thing. "Still considering what?" Eric asks with a mouthful of, presumably, some fruit of some kind.

"Nothing," both Isabella and Alice answer at the same time.

Eric eyes them both suspiciously for a while before shrugging it off. "Anyway Isabella I actually have a question for you. Every Wednesday there's this teacher meeting we have during lunch and recess. One teacher is elected from each grade or related arts and represents their section. I was elected at the end of last year but Angela is whining that I do too much, and sorry im rambling. I just wanted to know if you would like to my position this year?"

Isabella worries her bottom lip in thought. "Im not sure if I'm qualified I've only been here one day shy of a week."

"And is already on her way to get fired," Alice mutters not so quietly under her breath.

"All you have to do is sit and listen, it's super easy I promise." He clasps his hands under his chin and does his best to give her the best puppy dog eyes he can muster. "You're my last hope."

She breathes heavily through her nose. Puppy dog eyes had always been her weakness, one that Nessie knew how to exploit well.

"Ok I'll do it."

Eric leaps comically into the air with fist bump. "Thanks Isabella, I'll make it up to you. Just name your price." He scrunches his features with an afterthought. "Within reason of course. We're teachers not millionaires."

"That won't be necessary," she laughs.

"Oh yes it will," Alice chimes with a playful roll of her eyes. "Jasper tries to make them interesting but it's the most boring hour you'll ever have the displeasure of sitting through. But you'll have me there to entertain you." She shrugs, a shy smile gracing her face. "If im not too distracted ogling at Mr. Whitlock that is."

Isabella playfully swats at the other woman's leg. "Try not to turn my room into a swimming pool, Alice."

Hi.

So my laptop died a few months ago completely destroying the remaining chapters of MC along with a monstrously long one-shot I had completed. I was very /not/ happy to put it lightly.

So I started writing this off and on in my free time to try to gain inspiration to get back into writing after that major set back. A few words became hundreds, then thousands, then multiple chapters and a detailed outline. This is not an original idea and has been done like a hundred times but I wanted to give it a go anyway with my own twist on it.

As far as MC goes, I'm still very discouraged to finish it now. If anyone really wants to see it done please PM me and if it's wanted enough I'll do a complete rewrite of the story. (It has many plot holes and other issues that need to be fixed.)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy a new multi-chap. I've drafted all the way to chapter 23, so expect it to be around that length.

The next few chapters are already written in their entirety so expect relatively request updates (if I had a penny for every time I said that.)

Enjoy.