OOC: Thanks for the reviews and favourites! More Cullens are coming your way ;-) My uni exams have started now but hopefully will still be updating slowly but surely :-)

Carlisle's POV

The social worker assured us that Lilla was settling in well and seemed very happy with us. Her confidence levels had greatly improved since moving in, even if that meant just being able to smile and say hello to her family members she hadn't quite clicked with yet. I had tried to teach Lilla some "go-to lines" for when she did feel awkward, especially around the women. She had learnt those pretty quickly, but still her social skills weren't quite one hundred percent and I'd sometimes hear Lilla telling Esme "the weather is lovely today" multiple times a day, even if it was wet and stormy outside. I kept making a mental note to teach her more of those conversation starters since I couldn't quite bring myself to burst her bubble and mention she was using the weather line too much.

Surprisingly, of all her new family, she seemed to have bonded best with Jasper. He had admitted to me just how hard he had been finding it, but he tried his best, and Jasper was always straight away by her side to calm her down if she had got herself into a panic or had become upset after a nightmare. I guess she had been conditioned to associate Jasper with the happiness he manipulated her to feel, which I wasn't quite sure I morally agreed with. There was going to come times when Jasper wasn't around to always be there to calm her down, but I guess for now it was useful to keep her calm whilst she was still settling in. Jasper also didn't talk a lot, mainly because of the pain and ache he felt when she draped her warm body over his, which Lilla really seemed to like. We had quickly learnt she wasn't the best at communication with people she didn't know so well, so it was probably a relief for her to find someone who she didn't necessarily have to talk to. They just sat together in silence, and Lilla would look so calm and content. It was hard to tell how her genuine mood and mental health was when she was constantly being manipulated by Jasper. Of course she had her down days where she would refuse to leave her bed or even talk a word to me, but we had been assured that was normal, and overall she seemed okay. I would hope she would speak up to Edward if she was in trouble.

I had pretty much taken a month of work off now, just doing night shifts a couple of nights a week and doing all my admin from my desk next to her bed. I dreaded the day I'd have to go back properly, since although she did like being left to her own devices, she had admitted she liked my presence at the back of her room. Just hearing me tap away at my computer seemed to bring her comfort.

I tried hard to act more as her father instead of her doctor, but she still called me 'Carlisle' - even accidentally 'Doctor Carlisle' on occasions! I wasn't quite sure whether she had fully understood the adoption was final, or whether she just would never consider me as her dad. It's pathetic, but my heart would drop inside my chest each time she referred to me by my first name. I wanted nothing more than to be a "daddy" to her, but I understood it would take time. I tried to be patient, and Edward and I split the medical care as equally as we could between us to stop me from looking like the "bad guy". Blood tests, occasional chest x-rays and daily vitals were very much still part of her schedule and I tried my best to stop her from associating me with all that since it had caused some tears and tantrums at the beginning. She wanted cuddles from me, not for me to be sticking needles into her and asking personal questions about menstruation and bowel movements, and she made that very clear at the beginning. "That's for doctor Josh to know," she would tell me very sternly, or wiggle about and tug the stethoscope out my ears when I listened to her chest. I guess she was pretty childlike in that sense, but I never ever shouted at her. Even if she used physical violence with us (which unfortunately had happened a couple of times, but Edward had assured us was very normal given her upbringing). Afterwards she would curl herself into a protective ball with her arms defending her face, and we would just have to calmly tell her that it was inappropriate behaviour and try to show no sign of anger to the terrified kid who honestly seemed to be scared that we would hurt her back. We couldn't risk her losing her trust in us. The first week had been difficult, for she missed Josh badly and she wasn't used to me doing all those medical things to her. She still brought him up every once in a while, and be upset for an hour after we told her "you'll see him soon", but it was nothing we couldn't handle and she seemed to get over it by making another bracelet or drawing which I assured her I was passing onto him.

Emmett and Rosalie had been teaching her how to walk! Successfully too, for Lilla could now walk a good ten metres or so before her legs would weaken and she would have to sit down. Emmett had become particularly determined, and when I had mentioned getting a occupational therapist or physio in to help her with walking stairs, he only upped her 'training hours' more and began working in the swimming pool with her to strengthen her legs. He had adopted this case as his own, and he was so desperate for her to be able to walk again. I saw just how proud she was making him when she could stay on her feet for a little longer each day. I wasn't quite sure I was doing what was best for her, since her knees were still out of alignment when she walked and there was an obvious limp, but I'm not sure Lilla would want a therapist to be helping her either. She had finally learnt to trust Emmett so gathered I should leave them be, offering my support and advice if needed.
Rosalie joined in once in a while, being there to encourage her or being the one to pick Lilla up and carry her away if she had become too tired. I don't think she particularly liked having the human in the house, but she tried to accept it and did her best to come across as friendly as she could to the girl.

"I've been thinking, and I thought it might be nice to pick some flowers out the garden? To give to Rosalie to say thanks for her help with my walking. I don't know, I kind of find it hard to say, so flowers might be easier." She randomly said one day, glancing towards me at the computer behind her bed. I stopped what I was doing and wheeled my chair over to her and gave an approving nod. "That does sound a thoughtful idea. There can't be many flowers out there this time of year though; would you like me to take you to a florist instead? There's one just in town." I suggested, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. "Florist?" She repeated back at me in confused and I gave another nod. "A little shop that sells bouquets of lots and lots of wonderful flowers like the ones on the television. Far better than the ones you get in the garden." I explained, but she wiggled in her bed slightly and began to sink down into her duvet. "You can go on your own, right?" She asked timidly and I couldn't help but smirk in response. "But it's your idea! Don't you want to pick something out for her? You probably know her favourite colours far better than I do. We could get some bouquets for the other girls too if you'd like." I tried to persuade her, but I knew she hated doing things outside her comfort zone even if it was something as simple as going to a shop. I could tell she did want to go, but she was scared, bless her. "I won't be able to stand up for that long," she mumbled, looking as though she wished she had never suggested it now. "I'll take you in your wheelchair," I replied before wheeling myself back a couple of metres to give her some space. If she really didn't want to go then there was no point trying to persuade her. Perhaps she wasn't quite ready yet.

"You're gonna refuse to go on your own, aren't you?" She asked me in a mumble after contemplating the idea for a while. I gave her a nod, and she gave me a shrug back. "I'll come then." She finally said sounding very defeated, so I just gave a chuckle in response and began to sort out some proper clothes for her instead of her usual pyjamas.
And so we went into town. Luckily, Edward had taken her on a few drives around the area to try and desensitise her to being in a car, so the journey wasn't too difficult - just a little bit of apprehension at the beginning.

She liked it in the florists, and she really was in her element meticulously choosing all the different colours and types of flowers for each of the ladies. Unfortunately when I took her to the counter for the little old lady to put the bouquets together for us, Lilla completely seized up and wasn't able to get a single word out. "What colour tissue paper, dearest?" She would ask but the poor kid would just shake her head and look to me to intervene despite how much encouragement I'd give her. Just as I thought her social skills were improving, I had been proven wrong The elderly lady looked down on Lilla with sympathetic eyes and repeated the question a few times over but in a louder and slower voice, probably assuming she had some kind of learning difficulty, and she made up a little bouquet for Lilla out of sympathy. I assured her it wasn't necessary and that she had no need to feel bad, but the lady insisted anyway. As kind as it was, I didn't like people taking pity on her like that. Lilla had mentioned that was why she hated leaving the house in her wheelchair, for she just wanted to be normal. She was pretty deflated after that, and she wheeled herself to the door of the shop whilst I stayed at the back choosing cards to go with the flowers and settling the bill. Maybe it had been a bad idea to make her come with me after all.

"Hey, you." I whispered as I came back with the three bouquets and Lilla's small set of pink roses I had tried to hide, and I hooked the bags onto the handles of her chair. She didn't react to me, but stayed staring out the window. "What have you seen?" I asked, crouching down to her level and staring at the same spot. There was a small boutique opposite I hadn't noticed before, it's outer sign decorated a powder pink colour. There were mannequins in the windows wearing leotards and tutus, and a small logo of a little girl in a typical ballerina pose. "Looks like a dance shop to me, Lilla. You like the look of it?" I asked gently, but she gave me a shrug and her gaze was broken as she faced the floor. "Let's go home," she said flatly, and I proceeded to leave the shop but instead wheeled her closer to the window of the little boutique. "Come on, let's take a look inside," I suggested but she straight away shook her head and let out a moan. "I can't go in a dance shop in a wheelchair, they'll think I'm weird." She moaned at me, her eyes full of tears now. "Nobody thinks your weird, okay sweetheart? If anybody treated you differently because of your chair then they'll have me to answer to." I whispered after crouching back down in front of her. She still didn't look convinced and carried on shaking her head. "Okay, we'll go in there and tell them I'm the dancer then, yes? We will tell them that your ol' dad is wanting a pink tutu for his first ballet lesson." I laughed, and a small smile appeared on her lips and she let out a little giggle too.

She finally gave me a reluctant nod and I wheeled her into the shop, straight away greeted by lady about my age who must have been watching our ordeal ouside. "How can I help you today, sir and little miss?" She asked politely, whilst Lilla just stared at all the walls, seeming to be in absolute awe. "I've just started a beginners ballet class myself so wanted to have a look for some dance wear. I think my daughter Lilla would like to have a quiet browse too if that's alright?" I asked, giving the shop assistant a subtle wink at the mentioning of my ballet class. She gave me a knowing look in return and an understanding smile. "Of course, sir. Here, I'll take you over to the menswear at the back of the store. Our girls clothes and shoes are just here, Lilla, if you want to take a little look and I can come help if needed?" The woman said, and Lilla gave a little nod in return. The assistant had obviously understood my hint at why we were here and leaving Lilla to her own devices, which I was extremely grateful for. "Afraid she's going to be judged, huh?" The assistant asked as she took me away towards the back of the store, looking sympathetically towards me. "I think she was a little bit embarrassed to come. But her eyes just lit up when she saw those beautifully dressed mannequins in the window, and I had to bring her in." I replied in a hushed voice, pretending to browse at the menswear when Lilla glanced back at me. "There's no need to be embarrassed. Anyone that is at all interested in dance is welcome here." The assistant assured me, getting on with some tidying of the store. "Carlisle?" I heard Lilla ask, and I straight away rushed to her side. "Carlisle, aren't these photos beautiful?" She asked, pointing to the various framed photos on the wall. Girls in glorious white tutus standing on their very tippy toes, whilst some were held in elegant positions by their partners. I don't think I appreciated it quite in the same way as Lilla did but I gave her a nod and tried my best to be enthusiastic. "Very beautiful." I whispered, and she wheeled herself to a drawer full of little pink ballet slippers, picking a pair up and bringing it to her face where she smelt the leather with a little smile on her face. I think it was sentimental to her. "Do you want to try some on?" I asked her, but she straight away shook her head and tried to wheel herself away. "Come on, why not?" I asked, holding the handle of her chair strongly to stop her from moving. "I'm not a dancer, there's no point." She mumbled, but I refused to listen to her and instead tried to find a demo shoe that looked her size. "You can learn, sweetheart. It will probably only be a few more weeks till you're strong enough to take a class." I encouraged her, and her eyes did light up a little as I gently took off her little chucks. The demo shoes were far too big, and so I wandered back over to the assistant and explained I'd need a size 2, preferably in the leather rather than the canvas material as she had seemed to like that.

She came over and sat on the floor in front of Lilla. "I'm going to help you get the perfect fit, okay?" She asked her, proceeding to put the various slippers on my daughters feet, tying the little bows and asking Lilla to point her toes and asking how comfortable they were. "You have wonderful arches, you're certainly blessed with the one in a million ballet gene. Is your wife a ballerina?" she complimented Lilla, turning to face me. Lilla tried her best to hide a smile and play it cool, but I could see it in her eyes she was grinning on the inside. She loved it when people thought she was my biological daughter. "I'm adopted, miss. But thank you," Lilla answered for me in a little giggle. The assistants cheeks flushed pink, and I think Lilla sensed her embarrassment and straight away changed the topic. "Do y-you dance...miss?" Lilla stammered, taking me by surprise since I was pretty sure this was the first time she had started a conversation without talking about the weather. "I did. I'm retired now unfortunately, but I danced with the Joffrey ballet for a long time. Best years of my life. I teach now though, which can be incredibly rewarding." She replied, a smile spreading across her face as we finally found the perfect pair for Lilla. "Have you heard of Catherine Joiner?" Lilla asked, still in her slightly timid voice but I was so proud of her for making conversation, as ridiculous as that sounded. "Why of course! Youngest ever principal dancer of the New York City ballet, yes?" She asked, clearly impressed with my daughters knowledge. I, too, was impressed. I guess she had learnt more than we expected from sitting on the floor watching television for over 10 years. "Was she beautiful?" Lilla asked, causing the assistant to laugh. "Beyond beautiful, my dear. So unfortunate she retired so young. Probably before you were born, so you never saw her perform? Gosh, I wonder what she's doing now. Probably teaching your generation. You could probably hunt her down if you're lucky." She replied, and Lilla gave a shake of her head. "She's dead, miss." Lilla said very bluntly, turning her face away back to the window and I'm pretty sure I saw her eyes glaze over. The assistant paused for a moment before she began to package up the things and escaped back to the stockroom, as I think both her and I had quickly put two and two together. Catherine was her mother.

I gave Lilla some space and went over to the till to pay for her new slippers. "Sorry, I didn't realise Catherine was-" the assistant began. "No, me neither."
"I should have realised. She's the spitting image of her" she carried on, seeming to be in a bit of a panic.
"Don't worry about it, honestly. That's the first time she's talked about her mom with anyone, so thank you." I whispered. "Hey, uh could you grab a few other bits for her? I'm sorry, I know nothing about ballet and what all the uniform is. Just the standard leotard and tights and maybe a little cardigan?" I asked in a whisper and she straight away scurried off to fetch the things. She laid out some options for me on the counter of various colours, styles of leotard and materials of skirt, but this completely wasn't my thing and I had no idea what I was looking for. "I'll just take it all." I said, checking to see if Lilla was watching. She hated me spending money on her.

"Thank you... for treating her like a normal kid." I finally said, and she quickly shook it off. "Don't be silly, sir. Your daughter is an absolute delight. And can I just say I think you're doing a wonderful job with the adoption. I'm not sure all fathers would be willing to go into a dance shop and pretend to look at tights for themselves," she laughed a little, and I walked over and placed the big cardboard bag on Lilla's lap. "Those are your bits and bobs to look after," I whispered. We both gave the assistant a wave before leaving the shop, and I didn't bring up her mom until we got back to the car. "Ballet gene, huh?" I asked gently, and she gave an embarrassed smile but stayed silent. She obviously didn't want to talk about it so I drove on, not once talking about her ballet shop visit for the rest of the day.
I got her changed into a new set of pyjamas as soon as we got home and she settled down into bed and resumed with the film she had been watching before we left. "You not going to give your flowers out to everyone?" I asked from across the room, and she gave a little shake of her head with her eyes focused on the TV. "You can do it." She said, and I watched her eyelids fall as she became more sleepy. When would her tiredness freaking end? "Please." She added, aware of the fact I was still staring at her for her to change her mind. "Okay," I gave in, figuring Lilla had done enough for me today. She only went to the florists because I pretty much forced her to, after all.

"You made me really proud today, Lil." I finally said from across the room still, trying to keep it casual so I didn't sound condescending. She looked towards me with a confused expression and I wheeled closer to her. "I know you didn't want to come out with me, but you played it really cool." I complimented her and she gave me a sheepish smile. "Thanks." She mumbled, and I left it at that.