A giant thank you toidealskeptic and k8ln713for beta'ing this for me, and TheMortician's Daughter and Mirlene Lira for prereading! They're amazing!

Carlisle POV:

I called the school and asked to speak to the principal first thing Tuesday morning after kissing Emmett goodbye when Lily took the kids. A gruff voice answered, "Sup?"

"Yes, hi, this is Dr.Carlisle Cullen and I am calling to schedule a meeting as soon as possible."

"Why do I need to meet with a doctor?" he scoffed. "I'm not sick and I don't care if the kids are; it's the parents' jobs to take them to the hospital."

"Because I am Emmett Cullen's father as well. I'd rather discuss this when we both talk together, face to face. My friend and co-worker, Nurse Lily Hale, will be joining me-"

"In holy matrimony?" he mocked me.

I clenched my fist into a tight ball and pounded on a random pile of papers. "Look, I've got no time for sarcasm. If you're a principal, would you at least try to be responsible if you can't be polite?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. How about today after school? I like to solve things quickly. Slowness pisses me off, so you two better be on time."

"We will, sir. See you then."

"Goodbye."

I slammed the phone back into the receiver and paced through the kitchen. How was I going to deal with this bastard?

I couldn't meet with Emmett's teacher yesterday because I had to go to work right away, but we took the day off today since we had to meet with Mr. Evenson and it was a slow day at the hospital anyway. I called Dr. Gerandy and he told me not to worry. He would take over my shift and his nurse, Betty, would do Lily's job. We thanked them profusely and we were glad we had such good friends there. I assumed that, since Lily was taking almost an hour to drive the children to school, she was meeting with her kids' teacher.

She returned after I downed a glass of orange juice, made myself pancakes, and got dressed in plain pants and a blue top. We never saw each other in our pajamas; that would be way too weird. Besides, I don't think her husband would like it.

The doorbell rang and I rushed to get it after doing a quick teeth brushing. "Hey, Lily," I greeted her with a yawn as I opened the door. "Charles Evenson is an idiot, but he agreed to meet with us after school today."

"Well, good morning to you, too, Carlisle. Oh, that's awesome... I can't wait to give him a piece of my mind."

"Me neither. I can't stand child-haters..." I trailed off and shook my head. "So, how was the car ride? Was Emmett a good boy?"

"He was very good. God, I'm so grateful for both him and Jasper. They saved my Rosie's life today."

"Really? How?"

"Rosalie wanted to stick her head out the window, so I let her. I had no idea it was still out there until I rolled up the window and heard her screaming bloody murder. Jasper and Emmett were yelling, 'Mom! Lily! Stop! You're killing her!' I freaked out, naturally, and checked her for any injuries. She just had a slight red mark on her neck, but I was worried as hell. I fail as a mother. I was almost crying and I wouldn't let her go. I carried her into the school, went into the bathroom to fix myself up, and took all three of them to their respective classrooms."

"God, I'm sorry, Lily. I'm glad she's okay now. You don't suck at being a parent because I would have done the same thing if my kid didn't tell me. But I would have also looked behind me and positioned my rear-view mirror where I could see the children."

She sighed. "And that's where I went wrong. I'll remember that next time. On a positive note, though, I met Rosalie and Jasper's teacher. She's so sweet... her name is Ms. Bloomingfield. Rosalie says the last name reminds her of a blooming field of flowers. When I told her my name was Lily and I was Rosalie and Jasper's mom, she laughed and said it was funny that we both had flower names. I couldn't agree with her more. She also told me her name, Renee. I saw her give my children a hug and my heart expanded like five times its size. At least some people appreciate kids and their free spirit. She misses the times when her sixteen year old was a child."

"I'm so happy they have a wonderful teacher. That's very good for them. At least they don't see the principal too much... but I wonder what Emmett's teacher is like."

"I've already met her," Lily grinned. "They got lost on their way to their classrooms yesterday and Ms. Platt, the first grade teacher, led them to their classes. I had to walk them there today, though. I enjoyed it, because hearing kids' chatter makes me smile. Mrs. Carmen Weber, Emmett's teacher, is very nice, just like Renee. She looks a little older than Renee, maybe just by five years. She and Renee both told me I looked way too young to have mid-elementary school children and I thanked them. I laughed and told them they were adopted, but they didn't believe my lie because they look like a young version of me. They even asked me who the lucky man was, but I said that their birth father wasn't in the picture. They looked sad and it was an awkward goodbye. But yeah, they seem nice. Sorry if I'm rambling,"

"It's okay. I could keep up with it. I can't wait to meet them tomorrow."

"Yeah, Carlisle, you really need to get out more... maybe ask Renee out since she's not married? Or any other young female teachers you run into at the school, literally or figuratively."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna run anyone over, don't worry about that. And I'm not dating someone who has a kid that close to my age,"

"Okay, fine, I'll give you that. She looked about thirty something anyway. But I did see a woman in the bathroom who's like in her early twenties. I think she might have been dropping off her little sister or brother. She was doing her makeup and wincing. I noticed a cut down her jawline. At first, I thought it was a hair, and apparently she did, too, because she tried to put the lock behind her ear, but she ended up scratching herself and it bled. She noticed me staring and told me she fell down the stairs.

"I know that was a lie, though. I know an abused woman when I see one. Her black eye was fading and barely there, covered up by her makeup, but I could tell someone punched her by the way she looked pained as she was putting on her eyeshadow and eyeliner. I suggested for her to not press so hard, but she told me she had a sty and it would hurt anyway. Someone hit her, I can tell. She seemed so afraid and innocent."

"It's not your fault, Lil. Some people are such monsters that they hurt women and make them too scared to say anything."

She looked down. "I just wanted to get her some help. I wanted to tell her to leave him, if she is in fact in an abusive relationship."

"Well, what if she can't? She might get killed if she tries running away. She could call the cops... I'll tell you what. If you see this woman again, ask for her name and try making friends with her. That way you won't scare her off when talking about if someone hit her. You can even bring up your past to make it easier for her to share her story with you," I suggested.

"It was such a shame. She looks really nice and seemed it, too, and I would love to make friends with her. I'm not sure if she had a horrible childhood like we did, but... it seems like we would have a lot in common with her," she said sadly.

"Not all of our childhood was horrible. My mother and your father did the crimes when we were thirteen, fourteen... and they ended up in the slammer. We got kids out of it... I bet she had it much worse."

"I agree. We have great families now and our past is behind us. We're so good at hiding it... the signs of abuse aren't even there on us. I didn't even feel the pain; I was drugged. I was still sick around my dad, and you felt queasy with your mom around... but we can be thankful for what we have now."

I nodded. After our conversation, we went out to get Will up and moving.

"Good morning," I said and gave him the two finger wave. He sat up in his bed with Lily's help and waved at us.

"Aw, get over here, Lily," he said, pulling her face to his. They shared a short but sweet kiss and then he was ready to get out of bed.

When he was situated in his chair, Lily sat on his lap and started kissing him. I groaned and turned my head away. "Get a room you two!"

"Outta here, third wheel!" Will pointed to the exit and I playfully gave him the finger. "You fucking need to get laid, man, I'm tellin' ya."

"Yeah, get a girlfriend!" Lily laughed. When she moaned in ecstasy at whatever her husband was doing to her, I ran. I didn't need to see any of that.

Maybe my friends were right. I really did need a woman in my life, and not just a best friend to laugh with, but someone to kiss when I got home from work, someone to hold in my arms, someone to sleep with... and make me forget about the slut who ruined my teenage life. I got so angry when I thought about the woman who was supposed to love me like a son. My father took her side over mine and accused me of raping her. When I went to therapy, my therapist suggested to me to get a punching bag to hang in my room so I could take my frustration out on it. I rushed back home, up the stairs, and beat the shit out of the bag until my fists hurt. Lily didn't have it as hard as I did, because her father knocked her out. She still felt the pain, but it happened nine years ago and we both had healed from it. From time to time, though, we needed to hit something. It made us stronger and able to face anything, which is why we weren't afraid to fight the principal for hurting our precious children. Why anyone would hurt a kid was beyond me. They were defenseless and couldn't harm a fly.

It must have been hours since I first got up on my bed and laid there. Lily came in and woke me up. I hadn't even realized I was conked out. "Oh, sorry, I skipped lunch...what time is it?" I asked her.

"It's like two. What were you thinking about?"

"It's hard to imagine myself as a grandfather." I groaned at the mental image of me as an old man.

"Don't think like that," Lily said with a chuckle. Come on, get some lunch. Will and I already had some."

I lazily rolled off my bed and yawned. "I'm so bored with nothing to do..."

"Which is why you need to get in the dating game. By the way, why didn't you? I mean, in college, I pointed out girls, but you were always like, 'Nah, she's boring!', or 'Nah, she's too ugly!', or 'Eeewww, that woman is a real live Barbie doll! Are you crazy, Lily?' So yeah, you were picky, dude. There's so many fish in the sea! You're getting to be in your mid twenties. These potential girls are gonna become married and pregnant. You know, starting families. You better hurry and grab a girl while you're still young and restless!" she encouraged me.

"Nobody's ever interested me. Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna die old and alone. It scares me. My son will move out and I won't have anyone. Why is there nobody out there for me?"

"Because you've never tried asking anyone out!"

"I didn't want to break anyone's heart, that's why! I don't go out with random girls, you know. If they look plain, I assume their personality is plain. If they're pretty, like you, I consider being their friend and having them as a potential girlfriend. I was going to ask you out, but you loved William."

"What? Really?" she asked doubtfully. "That's odd... I wouldn't have turned you down if I had never met Will. I mean, you're, well... good looking. Ugh! I shouldn't have said that. I'm probably coming off as flirting. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she murmured and covered her face with her hands. "Shit..."

"No, that's okay. Thank you. I don't take it as flirty. You're my best friend. I know you are loyal to Will. I called you pretty, so... I meant pretty as a friend. Honest."

"I know, I know." She was still blushing. There was a long and weird silence between us as I made my lunch. Finally she broke the quiet. "At least we weren't best friends with benefits."

"Oh, God, no," I laughed, and she joined in. "Thank God for that." We cracked up to cover our utter embarrassment.

"Don't you dare ask Will if I'm good in bed," she warned me while holding up a knife and pointing it at my chest.

"I won't, I won't. Hell no!" I backed away to avoid a stabbing in the heart.

"Let's also not get drunk when we're alone together."

"That's a good idea." I exhaled, glad this conversation could end since I was now eating my spaghetti. It was true that I had a crush on her when we met in college, but it disappeared when she fell hard for Will. Sure, I was brokenhearted, but when people kept mistaking us for brother and sister and our kids planned to marry in the future when they played 'wedding', the crush was completely and a hundred percent nonexistent.

I finished my lunch and then we left for the school. Our kids were going to stay in the library until we could drive them home. The ride was silent except for when Lily patted my arm. We smiled fondly at each other and she said, "Don't worry, Carlisle. You'll find her."

"Thanks, Lil."

"Ready to face this pompous ass?"

I nodded. "Fuck yeah."

At once, we got out of the car, closed our doors simultaneously, and marched to the building. As soon as we were inside, a woman walked past us. She had brown hair and blue eyes. It wasn't that she was unattractive. She looked kind, but just not the right kind of woman for me. She looked like one of those ladies who would kill to save someone's life, whether it be her best friend's, a child's, or her parents'. I already was that type of guy. I needed someone who needed me. She didn't look like she needed help from anyone. She looked sure of herself.

"Hey, Renee," Lily called out to her, and the woman turned around to face us directly. She smiled brightly when she saw us.

"Lily! Just the woman I wanted to see. Rosalie was an angel today, and Jasper was a star. They seem to really love school."

"Oh, well I can't blame them! They have a great teacher!"

"Aw, thanks. And who's this guy?" She gestured to me.

"He's my best friend, Carlisle."

"Really? You two look related. For a second there, I thought you were twins, like Jas and Rose. Well, Carlisle, it's a pleasure to meet you," Renee extended her hand out to shake mine.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Ms. Bloomingfield."

"Oh, to hell with that. Call me Renee. Do you have a kid who goes here?"

"Yeah, his name is Emmett. He's in Carmen's class, I think? That's what Lily told me.

"Yep! Mrs. Weber. She's awesome. But call her Carmen or she'll kick your ass. Totally kidding. Anyway, your children are in the library," she let us know. This woman was funny, too. I was glad Rose and Jasper had her.

"Oh, we're not going to the library. We're seeing Mr. Evenson." I replied.

Her soft features hardened. "The principal is a disgusting monster. I hate him because he ruined my best friend's life," she told us harshly. "You won't get through to him. Nobody can. He's a stinking pot of shit. But good luck in there. Don't let him scare you. Just be yourselves and don't take his insults personally."

"Thanks for the advice, Renee," Lily said with a grimace. I, too, was a little frightened because of Renee's warning. This guy seemed dangerous.

"No problem. Later, guys!" She waved to us and we were on our way. My heart was pounding too hard for my liking and I took a deep breath. Do it for the children, do it for the children, I thought to myself over and over.

In all my twenty-three, almost twenty-four years, I hadn't met anyone as sadistic as Charles Evenson, the principal of my son's school, with the exception of my parents. I was shocked and angered when I found out that Mr. Evenson accused Emmett of stealing his precious dessert from the kitchen and then as a punishment, made him eat tons of it in front of the entire school. I walked briskly to his office to give him the lecture of a lifetime. Lily was right besides me, wearing a matching expression of fury on her face. She had every right to be mad. That bastard threw her son out a window and spun her daughter around by her pigtails. The nerve of that man!

"I mean, how does he get away with doing that shit?" she asked as her heels clicked on the tile floor.

"I have no idea, Lil, but we're gonna report him if he doesn't clean up his act right now,"

When I opened the door to his office, he turned around and smirked at us. He knew why we were here. "Oh, the doctor and the nurse," he sneered. "The perfect parents, hmm?"

"We're not perfect, but we are decent. Why did you abuse my children? They're not yours to mess with!" Lily exclaimed.

"My son doesn't deserve to be humiliated for his weight in front of his whole school," I added. We sat down briskly.

"Ms. Hale, your daughter was wearing pigtails. Do I allow pigs at my school?"

"Rosalie's not a pig!" Lily yelled, slamming her hand down on the table.

Charles snickered. "And do I like when people eat in class or eat my food?" He glared at us.

"We are both medical experts. If a child is thrown to the ground or in the air at a fast moving pace, they could get seriously injured or die!" I snapped.

"Medical experts my ass," Charles chortled. He kept droning on and on while I rolled my eyes up at the ceiling.

"We could have you arrested," Lily threatened.

"That's true, Charles," a soft voice asserted in the darkness near an empty supply closet. "You need to treat those children with the respect and love they deserve." A caramel colored haired woman came out from the shadows and smiled at us apologetically.

"You're interrupting my meeting. Get outta here! Go on, git!" he snarled at her. When she didn't move, he picked up a wooden rod and slammed it against one of the walls. She jumped, frightened, and exited the room quickly and quietly. I thought I saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Who was that?" I wondered aloud.

"Nobody. Now, on with our discussion. Turn around, doc."

I couldn't concentrate, not when that woman's face was etched into my mind. Her flowing, curly hair, her sad but beautiful green eyes, her gentle, sweet and innocent smile...I suddenly wanted to get to know her personally.

What was her name?

Did she work here?

Did she have kids?

Was I crazy for liking her before even having time alone with her? Or even learning her name?

Her hair was so lush and beautiful; I was imagining myself touching it. I wanted to lift her up and kiss her madly. I wanted to thank the heavens that I finally found someone sexy and sweet with a quiet voice. She was submissive and not as wild or bold in speaking, as I assumed Renee was.

"Just get outta here. You're not even paying attention. As a matter of fact, I forbid you to complain about the way I run my school to me. I can punish the children however I want. You can't sue me or send me to jail because nobody will believe you. Besides, if you whisper one word to anyone about what goes on at this school, I will bomb the building and make it look like an accident, just because I'm that good. I once killed somebody and made it look like a suicide attempt. The police didn't suspect me one bit because I acted sorry and I even faked crying over that bitch. I cut onions as I explained the whole story. You two insignificant fools can't do anything about it because I have so many tricks up my sleeve that it ain't even funny. Do you understand me?"

We both nodded. I saw Lily gulp. Her confidence was melting away. This guy was a complete asshole and we would have to stay away from him and tell our kids to do the same.

"NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" he bellowed. We stood up and opened the door at the same time, trying to beat each other out.

"He's so rude!" I groaned. "And he gets away with being a criminal!"

"Oh my God!" Lily gasped. "I'm never going back in there again!"

"Yeah, come on, let's go." I led her to the library until we heard sobbing. We followed the direction the sound was coming from, and we stopped short.

The young woman from the office was crying against a wall with her arms wrapped around herself. She sank to the floor when she noticed us staring. I knelt down to her level and ignored Lily momentarily. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned for her.

"Nothing... I-I'm fine," she mumbled through her sobs. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest and looked away from me.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help you?" I asked, trying to hold her gaze.

"Please... just go, okay? It's... personal," she croaked.

She was shaking so hard when Charles walked by us. He stood in front of her for a second and clapped his hands. She looked up at him and as soon as she blinked, more tears fell out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She bit her lip to try to stop herself and my heart shattered at her pain.

"Didn't I just tell you to leave? Hurry up! You're embarrassing me! I've seen my grandmother move faster than you and she's on her deathbed!"

"I-I'm sorry..." she sniffled. I stood back next to Lily because I had a feeling we shouldn't be a part of this. After he kicked the section of the wall beside her, she struggled to stand.

"Get up!" he barked.

She wiped her eyes and stood all the way up. Then she fled the building, scurrying without looking back.

"I don't know why the fuck you're still here, but do not under any circumstances talk to that stupid slut!" the principal roared and walked away, leaving Lily and I stunned.

We got the children, but I was more out of it than Lily was. She talked animatedly with them but all I could focus on was the pretty brunette in the back of Mr. Evenson's office.

I'm having a lot of fun writing this! Thanks to reviewers idealskeptic, that kiwi chick, Just4Me, CarlisleandEsme, TheMortician'sDaughter, kolbow, Milene Lira, k8ln713, and TeamCarlisleandEsme8! I love the support here! Read and review please!