Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight BUT I do own Milly, Lulu, Mark and Bert's characters :)

So I know that this chapter is insanely short, but I promise they'll be getting longer from now on.

Esme's rule changes

Chapter 12

Sunday – Rule change

Esme POV

Finally. The halfway point. Rule change, the day where this poor, depressed, boring family can have the chance to liven up a little and live by some different rules. I was itching to go home and see my family, but I wanted this family to know what a fun family lives like.

I knew that based on how this family live, my family was in for some huge shocks today, but I also knew my children better that Lulu did, and therefore knew that they could get around any rules she lay down for them.

Gerald was already sitting on the armchair, excited, obviously. I could hear Camilla, Mark and Bert were making their way down the stairs.

When they were all settled I started.

"Okay, over the last week, I have lived by your rules, which are completely different to what I am used to, so while your way of living is very unlike the way I live with my family back home, I didn't dislike it. So, I would like to say thankyou for giving me the opportunity to try something different."

All of the McClain's were raising their eyebrows in scepticism.

"Over the week I have spoken to each of you, trying to get an idea of what you would like changed and what you want to do a bit differently around here," I continued. "Milly. During the week, you told me that you really didn't like chess, netball and tennis, but you did enjoy cheerleading. So for you, I would like you to stop chess, netball and tennis, and its up to you whether you stop cheerleading as well. You also told me that your friend Scarlett does karate and that you wanted to give it a go. I have already called a karate school and you are booked in to have a lesson on Tuesday, and if you really like it, I have you in for Thursday and Saturday as well," I said.

"Oh Esme, thankyou!" Camilla squealed and gave me a hug. I smiled and patted her back gently.

"I'm glad you approve of your new activities," I said smiling at her pure joy and thankfulness.

Mark. I see your expression when I pick drop you off at all your activities, so you can drop them all for the week and I know you want to start football, so I called your school and you can train with them this week," I said.

Mark looked at me, blank faced.

"How did you know I wanted to do football?" he asked me, both surprise and worry in his voice.

"Let's just call it a mother's intuition," I said and winked. Truthfully, I had looked in his school bag and found a few football magazines.

"Thanks Esme, I really appreciate it," he said sincerely.

"Now, Bert, your turn," I said. "I know that you are very talented at maths, and that your mother wants you to use this talent, but come on, who likes to do extra maths, just for the fun of it? I know you hate it so you can drop that and I gather from your scars and multiple bandaids, that you aren't the best at archery, which gives you no reason to enjoy it," I said. He looked at me with so much relief in his face. "I also found the nasty notes from the boys in the team in your school bag, and because I have no rights to barge into your life, I'll let your father deal with those," I said.

"Is this true?" Gerald asked.

Bert nodded his head slowly, looking down.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Gerald asked.

Bert's discomfort was clearly visible all over his face so I decided to intervene,

"Maybe this can be dealt with later, I don't think it's the best topic to be discussed on camera."
"You're right Esme, I'm sorry Bert, but we'll talk about this later," Gerald said firmly.

"On to the next rule," I said. "This one applies to all three of you," I looked at the children. "I think that you are all old enough to be allowed to watch television by yourselves, I am giving you permission to watch TV in the afternoons and evenings during the week. I do however want to limit the time to two hours because I don't want your marks to suffer," I said. "I also give you permission to use the computer without supervision."

They all widened their eyes and looked at each other grinning.

"I also think that you do too much around the house, so no more chores for the week. I don't want to invade your privacy so the only thing I ask you to do is your own rooms," I said. They all looked so relieved, but I was no where near finished yet.

"Now, eating the same thing every single week is incredibly boring, so I'm going to shake things up a bit. Each of you get to choose the menu for a day and I will do all the cooking. I can't tell you how much I miss it," I told them sincerely. Since we had met Bella and Jake had started living with us, I had found that I had a knack for cooking, and I really enjoyed it. It made me feel almost human again.

"I also get the feeling that you all dislike going to church, so I am cutting it down to once, on Sunday," I said.

"Why do we still have to go on Sunday?" Camilla asked.

Gerald was about to reprimand her, but I stopped him.

"No, it's a perfectly valid question," I assured him. "Milly, I am not taking away your religion altogether, I just want to limit the amount of time you go to church so that you have more free time," I said.

"Oh, cool. Thanks Esme," she said.

"I also think that even though you do have a 'family day', you don't really do anything that interesting, so on Saturday, I give you permission to go somewhere with friends, with a curfew of 10:00 for you boys and 9:00 for Camilla," I said.

"Yes!" They all squealed. They all began talking to each other, planning what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go at the same time.

"Milly tomorrow is Monday, and now that you have no activities on Monday, I will be picking you up early, and we are going to go shopping. The clothes your mother has you wearing look like what my mother wore in her youth," I said. This was a lie, it was what I had worn in my youth, but I didn't want to freak them out.

Camilla squealed again. "Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!"

"You're very welcome Milly," I said.

"Gerald, I saved you for last." I said.

"You have a rule for me?" he asked.

"It's not really a rule," I said.

"Well, what is it then?"

"As told you during the week, I am a designer for a home renovator's magazine, and I specialise in gardening, as well as an interior designer and I also help design exteriors as well," I told him. "I was talking to my boss, the magazine producer, and I had to pull some strings, but they have offered you the choice to allow the magazines team, to come and renovate your gardens and the exterior of the house, just fix it up and such," I said. "The magazine has agreed to pay for all of the workers and half of the supplies," I added

"Esme," Gerald began. "Esme, I have been nagging Lulu to let us get the house fixed up, but she always refused to spend the money on something she deemed so 'materialistic' and 'unnecessary.'" Gerald said.

"So that's a yes then?" I confirmed.

"Yes, thankyou Esme," Gerald said.

"Well, as much as I think that the charity work Lulu does is really great, I will be giving that up, so that I can be here to oversee the renovations on the house," I said.

"That's fine Esme," Gerald said quickly.

"Well, I would like to thankyou all for being so accepting of the new rules I have decided to put in place," I said, even though I new they were all ecstatic about the rules I had changed.

We all dispersed, and I called the magazine, letting them know they had the green light to go ahead tomorrow.

Gerald POV

Esme was wonderful. She was such a kind, thoughtful, good hearted person, and I felt truly honoured to have had the chance to know her. She really had Milly, Mark and Bert's best interests at heart. Three children she had never met before a week ago. And her pulling strings at her work to help us fix our house, I was so grateful. I had no idea how to repay her, but I had a feeling, that anything I tried to give her she would not accept, that just seemed like the person she was. Her husband and children were very lucky to have her, but I bet they already knew that. And they will certainly appreciate it now that they've had to live with Lulu for a week. I almost cringed, thinking of what she was going to make them do this week as her rule change. I had overheard Esme on the phone to her husband the other night, through the walls. She had no idea how thin these walls were. I wasn't going to tell the producers that she had broken the rules though. Not after she had given my children these opportunities, and lived through the rules we lived by, it was clear that she had disliked them, anyone would.

If Esme's children were half as cheeky as what I had gathered from her side of the conversation, Lulu had probably had a shock, and I knew they were going to get a shock from her rules, but they seemed like smart children, and I had faith that they would somehow get around them.

So there we have it; the second half of the rule change :)

Now, from here on in, the chapter's are either going to be longer (I have a lot of mischief planned on the Cullen side of things) or more chapters will be posted of this week than of the first week, or both. I haven't decided yet.

If you have any ideas regarding things the Cullen's can do, or things that can happen at the McClain's please PM me or let me know in a review or email me at:

apple(dot)sauce(dot)is(dot)coolhotmail(dot)com

Give me a break on the address, I was eleven when I made it.

Anyway, I check my emails more than once a day, so I'll get your ideas faster that way :)