The parents that were coming for Parent's Day arrived at 1100 (11:00am). Charlie spotted her mother and waved madly. Then she saw her father step in behind Mama, and she waved harder. Daddy waved back, and Mama nodded to her. Lorian shook his head in mild amusement at his sister's exuberance.

Darcie saw her mother, and made her way to her. What Charlie Tucker had called her this morning still stung. She knew what illigetimate meant. But it still hurt. Especially since it was true. Her eyes filled up again.

" Mom," She said weakly.

" Hey hon," Amanda noticed the tears in her daughter's eyes," What's wrong?"

Darcie sniffled, then, "Charlie Tucker called me illigetimate."

" What!?," Amanda searched the crowd with her eyes, trying to spot Trip or his wife. What did that child think she was doing, calling names like that? Amanda saw Trip and his wife standing with their children. She started to make her way through the crowd towards them.

" Trip," She began.

" Yeah?," He turned around," Oh, hello Amanda, Darcie." He smiled pleasantly at Darcie, though you could see the smile was somewhat strained.

" Your daughter has an extensive vocabulary," Amanda said stiffly.

" We'd like to think so," T'Pol replied. She looked down at Charlie, and gave her a look that said,' What did you do?'

" So extensive that she knows the word illigetimate," Amanda spit out the last word as if it tasted bad.

" Excuse me?," Trip asked confused," I don't get it."

" Your daughter called Darcie illigetimate," Amanda accused. Darcie nodded agreeingly.

Charlie hung her head sadly. Lorian looked from his baby sister to Ms. Cole to Mama to Dad. He blurted out," Darcie called Charlie a baby, and was pulling her braids! And she called Mama a homewrecker again! And she made fun of our ears! Ask Terrance! Or Kakio and Tommy!"

" Lorian," T'Pol said sternly," Enough."

" Yes'm," Lorain quieted, having said his piece.

" Alright, we need to get to the bottom of this," T'Pol said. She motioned to Terrance and Kakio for them to come over.

" Yes Mrs. Tucker?," Terrance asked polietely.

" Did you two see what happened between Darcie and Charlie?," T'Pol asked gently.

" Yes'm," Kakio replied," And Tommy too."

" Would you go get him please, and bring him back over here?"

" Sure," Kakio turned and hurried over to where Tommy was standing with his parents. She lead him over to where T'Pol and the others were already.

" This is crazy," Amanda muttered," They're all her friends, they'll say whatever they can to help her."

T'Pol's sensitive hearing heard her lowered voice," They're all good trustworthy children. They'll tell the truth."

" Sure."

Trip looked at his wife admiringly. She was handling the situation wonderfully. Better than he would anyway.

Tommy and Kakio joined them," You wanted to see me Mrs. Tucker?," Tommy asked.

" Yes I did. Did you see what happened between Darcie and Charlie?"

" Yes'm," Tommy nodded solmenly.

" Why don't you tell us what happened," Trip suggested," One at at time."

Kakio started," Me and Char and Tommy were sitting around ,and Darcie came over and says she wants to see how the homewrecker's kid was."

" Charlie said that Mrs.T wasn't a homewrecker, and Darcie said that she was a little baby, about to cry," Tommy contiued," Kakio said Char wasn't a baby, and Darcie said she crys like one."

"Then she started pulling Char's braids," Kakio added.

" Me and Lorian saw her from across the room, so we came over to get her to leave our sisters alone," Terrance began his part," Darcie made fun of Lorian's ears and called Char a baby again," He got a bit quieter here," So I called her a twit."

" And then Darcie made fun of Terrance's heritage, and that's when Char called her illigetimate," Lorian threw in his part too. Nobody messed with Charlie," Then Darcie ran off, and Charlie said she didn't mean to make her cry. She didn't mean it honest!"

" Alright Lorian," T'Pol nodded approvingly at her son," Thank-you children."

" Mrs. T?," Tommy tugged at T'Pol's sleeve.

" Yes Tommy?"

" I was the one who told Char to call Darcie illigetimate. She never would have come up with it on her own. I looked it up in my dictionary. I just didn't want Darcie to pick on Char again, and Char couldn't defend herself," Tommy looked so remorseful, T'Pol knelt down to be at eye level with the boy,

" It's alright Tommy. You thought you were helping. I glad you told us the truth. It took a lot of courage to do so."

" Thanks Mrs. T," Tommy clutched his dictionary to him.

" Go on children," T'Pol sent them off," You've been very helpful."

" Anytime Mrs. T," Terrance replied and herded Kakio and Tommy away.

" Go ahead Lorian," T'Pol told him.

" But Mama," He protested.

" No buts," T'Pol said firmly," Don't worry, Charlie will get a fair trial."

" If you say so Mama," Lorian went off in the direction the others had went.

" So what do you plan on doing about this?," Amanda asked.

" Well, " Trip began," I'm not entirely sure."

" Darcie is going to say she's sorry, and then we're going to have a long talk about respecting other peolpe's feelings," Amanda ordered," Now Darcie."

" I'm sorry I called Charlie names," Darcie mumbled.

" You should be," Trip interjected," She's only five years old. You are four years older than her!"

" Trip," T'Pol silenced him," Charlie, don't you have something to say to Darcie?"

" Yes'm," Charlie replied, then turned from her mother to Darcie," I'm sorry I called you that name. It was very rude of me, and I wish I could take it back."

" Whatever," Darcie mumbled.

" I am so sorry Trip," Amanda shook her head at her daughter," I don't know why she would do something like that."

" It's okay," Trip replied begrudgingly, mostly because of his wife's glare on him, and thinking that if he got her mad at him, the couch wasn't a very comfortable place to sleep.

Amanda ushered Darcie away, and T'Pol turned back to Charlie," Charlie, you have to watch what you say. You can really hurt people with words sometimes."

" But it was true," Charlie protested, " And you always say to always tell the truth even if it could hurt someone."

" Sometimes you don't need to be that blunt punkin'," Trip bent down, and hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

" Sure Daddy," Perched atop her father's shoulder's, she reached for her mother's hand," Whatever you say."