DISCLAIMER: SM owns all Twilight characters and settings. No copyright infringement intended.

I went into this chapter not sure how I was going to write it or even what I was going to say. I only knew what I wanted to accomplish. So surprise, surprise another one from Carlisle's POV.

Carlisle's POV

The end of the school day was still forty-five minutes away but remaining in the house for a second longer had become unbearable so I fled on the excuse that I was going to pick Edward up early, knowing full well that I was fooling no one. Fortunately the weather was on my side; the steady downpour of rain kept the occupants of the school safely inside. I did not need to worry about being bothered by curious parents or teachers and I owned the only Mercedes in Forks as far as I knew so my vehicle wouldn't draw undo suspicion idling in the parking lot.

I studied the droplets of water trickling down my windshield, each raindrop containing a kaleidoscope of colors as magnificent as the finest quality diamond, but too subtle to be detected by human eye. My fascination with the prism of colors that dotted my windshield was born less from an appreciation for the beauty of nature but instead as a futile attempt to distract myself from the heartbreaking deed that still awaited me

I had no one to blame but myself for the pain that burned in my chest, magnified by each breath I took and so I stubbornly vowed not to breathe until I was amongst humans again, deluding myself; the pain was still there and denying it oxygen did not lessen the burn.

When I tried to ignore it, concentrating instead on punishing myself, lamenting at my own stupidity; a tremendous wave of guilt accosted me, sapping me of my resolute determination to remain stoic despite my dismal failure to circumvent a scenario that could have been avoided through a reasonable amount of common sense.

I raked my fingers through my hair, not completely able to abandon my human habits, even when I was alone, still trying to come to terms with the reality that had so rudely been thrust upon us because of the delusional charade as Rosalie bitterly referred to it that had been the last eight months of our life acting as foster parents to a human child.

It was over and there was no way to set it right or change the inevitable at least not legally and over the last few days each member of my family had come to terms with it one way or another. The boys had it the easiest, though dealing with their mate's grief might be the caveat needed to dispute my assumptions.

Certainly for Jasper, who always had to be on guard, careful to control his instincts that drove him to consider Edward a source of food rather than a member of the family, somewhere in his weary disappointment there had to be relief. He just had to be cognizant that expressions of that emotion would not be tolerated by Alice.

I shuddered and though it was physically impossible, I imagined I could feel the chill and dampness of the air permeating my marble bones. I reached over and turned the heat up as high as it could go and sat back closing my eyes, contemplating my other daughter's fragile emotional state.

Rage.

It was that emotion that scared me more than anything else. Rosalie's fury, her absolute outrage over what she perceived as the injustice perpetuated against Edward made her unpredictable and dangerous. She was incensed and with that emotion came irrational solutions to a dilemma that as far as she was concerned could be resolved by conjuring up the gifts we were so well endowed with as vampires. As far as Rosalie was concerned, keeping Edward was the only conceivable option and whatever consequences resulted from her unrestrained actions would become my problem, since I was the one that ultimately was responsible for her.

Because I'd been so wrapped up in deflecting Rosalie's wrath and exasperation at my inaction in eliminating the cause of the upheaval in our life and that of Edward's, I had not been able to give Esme my full attention which ultimately had been a merciful release from the anguish she was experiencing but bravely tried to squelch understanding that despite my initial misgivings, the boy meant as much to me as he did to her and my grief would be no less agonizing.

But even if my wife forgave me for my steadfast resolve that we could not exert our will and forcible keep the child, I still felt or imagined I felt her disappointment in me and my refusal to at least consider some of Rosalie's suggestions of which not all resulted in the demise of Edward's biological parents.

Yes it was possible that we could snatch the boy and disappear, but how would we be any better than a depraved child abductor who undoubtedly could justify his despicable behavior just as we would try to do? Less drastic, but still ethically suspect, we could set the Masens up in a legally compromising situation that would jeopardize their ability to regain custody of their son, but their status as his parents wouldn't change and ultimately we would just be delaying the inevitable.

The bottom-line was that biological parents had certain rights to their children not offered to vampire foster families and no matter past transgressions; they were always given first consideration during custody disputes.

Reminding my family what we were getting into had not been received well and any of my obscure comments that could in any way be misconstrued as I told you so was met with blatant hostility so I refrained from calling forth my words from months earlier regarding the unlikelihood that we would ever be a part of Edward's life in the long term.

If I were honest with myself, I suspected I felt some relief, though mine was born from an entirely different rationale than Jasper's. I had never been able to reconcile how this would end. How Edward would be taken from us. The fact that his parents had simply requested custody of their son had been rather anticlimactic when I conceived of so many other scenarios that ranged from Edward's accidently death at the hands of one of my family members to the Volturi guard descending down upon us, their tolerance for our lifestyle stretched to a breaking point with the admittance of a human child into our lives.

A hard rap on the window startled me from my thoughts. I might have considered how it was that a human could startle me but given my emotional state I wasn't too alarmed. It was the crossing guard; an overtly pleasant older retired women that had made a habit of waving at me whenever I picked up Edward. She was thoroughly drenched from the rain, but had already moved away from my car by the time I lowered my window.

"Hello Mrs Labrowski. Would you like to sit in my car until school ends?" I said pleasantly, not eager for company but understanding that it was polite to offer.

"No thank you, Doctor Cullen. I'd be too afraid of ruining those fancy seats of yours," she called over her shoulder. "I had to make sure there was someone in the car. You're in a no parking zone."

Her genuine wariness in my presence wasn't lost on me. In fact, I had fretted over it on more than one occasion when I caught her gaze as she watched Edward climb into my car. She didn't trust me. Her instincts were right on target, but I'd given her no reason to pursue it with anyone and now I no longer had to worry about her. She would not see me at the school again.

I offered no further reply and closed my window, surprised at that passage of time. The parking lot was now full of school buses and cars were beginning to trickle in as parents arrived to pick up their children. I sniffed at the fresh air that Mrs. Labrowski's interruption had brought; Edward was still in the school, but I couldn't appease myself with believing he was hiding from me.

In fact, his reaction to the news that his parents had returned to Forks and wanted him back was startling given the suggestions of neglect documented in his case file that I discreetly found myself in possession of when it was apparent Edward would be with us for more than a couple of weeks. I had only to remind myself and my family that children always longed to be with their parents and forgave the most atrocious behavior to ensure that a reunion was possible.

Given that no member of my family would have willingly handed him over to his parents if he conveyed even an ounce of reluctance, it was undoubtedly better for us that he displayed some enthusiasm and more than that, unbridled joy when told that he would be leaving us to be returned to his parents.

I received the momentous phone call just three days earlier and as luck would have it, it came on the weekend with all the members of my family home. I did not need to repeat the conversation, did not need to break the news to anyone, they all heard the caller's voice clearly enough. I could only half listen to Edward's social worker as I became cognizant of Esme's muffled cry from amidst her flowers that were just beginning to bloom in the garden and took some solace that Jasper was immediately at her side, trying to comfort her.

Emmett and Rosalie could not verbally express their anguish. They had Edward in the front lawn, engaged in a game of old fashion kickball; Rosalie hovering protectively at Edward's side ready to annihilate Emmett if he forgot his own strength and put Edward in any danger.

Alice's mumblings came from the living room, her subdued reaction attesting to the distraction of her visions as she moved from one to the other trying to understand why she failed to see the return of Edward's parents and their subsequent desire to have him back. I could only assume that it was a spontaneous decision that could change the future in a blink of an eye rendering Alice's gift useless in certain situations.

The social worker, Mrs. Grant was leery about providing me with too many details, concerned that I might try to contest the parents' rights to the child as past discussions between her and I had touched on his mistreatment at their hands. But there was nothing I could do and for one of the few times in my life I recognized that my vampirism was a hindrance. It would be far better to be human when confronting matters of the state.

Perhaps I could have fought for him, could have pursued a court case, because as deplorable as it was to admit, our wealth would give us a significant advantage in the judicial system. But I could not risk exposure, could not have anyone inquiring into my past or that of my family's. We covered our tracks as we moved from town to town but there was no question in my mind that we left loose strings behind, especially in the last four or five decades when technology was making it easier to research the backgrounds of individuals if someone was motivated enough to do it.

The ringing of the school bell brought with it a flux of exuberant children bursting through the doors, their shouts and laughter underscoring my own misery. Edward usually hung back and was one of the last children to emerge from the school. He had put on several pounds and grown a couple of inches since living with us, but he was still small for his age and his passive demeanor did not allow him to force his way to the front of the pack of children even as his excitement to see his parents might encourage him to try.

He was one of the last out the door, easily identifiable in his bright yellow raincoat that Alice insisted was as stylish today as it had been when she wore a similar such outer garment some decades before, finding as much discomfort in the rain as any human did.

I parked in the same spot every day and as expected, Edward had no difficulty finding me, the grin on his face perceptible even from the distance that still separated us. His enthusiasm for seeing his parents again had not diminished with time, even as I anticipated it might. But why should that surprise me, surprise any of us; children always wanted to be with their parents no matter how wretched they might be.

In fairness, I wasn't being completely sensible in my assertions of them. I had never met them, had not been given any specifics about their treatment of Edward or how he ended up in that travesty of a foster home that we ultimately rescued him from. It could be that they had a very good reason for leaving the boy behind or at least one that didn't allude to abuse and neglect though every indication suggested they were anything but ideal parents.

"Hi Carlisle," Edward said brightly, climbing into the back of the car, pushing the large duffel bag that took up almost the entire back seat over so he could squeeze in.

"Hi Edward, did you have a good day at school?" I asked trying to match his enthusiasm, but my voice sounded dull and lifeless to my ears.

"It was okay. Jessica got in trouble for talking and had to write one hundred times why talking in school is bad. Do you think talking in school is bad?"

"That would depend on when she was talking. Think about all the kids in your class talking at the same time and how hard it would be to hear the teacher." I said reasonably. This would be the last time Edward and I would share some time alone away from everyone else, our private chats about his school day always something that I found enjoyable, despite the simplicity of the conversation.

"I never thought about that. Well Jessica talks a lot anyway, so I don't feel too bad that she got in trouble for it." And he didn't sound sorry. Jessica wasn't one of his favorite classmates. "Why are we going this way?"

I maneuvered the vehicle through the pedestrian traffic and had turned North towards Port Angeles. My eyes caught and held Edward's in the rear view mirror. "Don't you remember, I'm taking you to your parents today? They are meeting us at Mrs. Grant's office."

Edward frowned. "I know, but I thought we were going home first. I have to say goodbye."

His fractured voice broke my heart and it wasn't lost on me that he referred to our house as home.

"You said goodbye this morning, Edward. Remember we told you that right after school I was going to take you to them."

"But how come I can't go and say goodbye one more time?"

His voice quivered a little and I was on the verge of turning the vehicle around, but that wouldn't do any of us any good. We had said our goodbyes and with Edward at school Rosalie and Alice had packed up his clothing, toys and books leaving Esme to disappear into the woods, declining my invitation to join her. They would not expect to see Edward again. I couldn't do it to them…or him.

"Your parents are waiting for you, son. We don't have time to run home. Remember how long it took this morning? They'll send a search party out to find you." Edward was unmoved by my attempts at levity. I was used to disguising my feelings, so why was it so hard for me to act positive in light of what should be a joyous reunion?

"I could have said goodbye really fast." He broke our gaze and stared out the window dejectedly. Whatever excitement he had felt in anticipation of reuniting with his parents was clearly dampened.

"Alice packed your chess set. She said it wasn't in the pile of toys that you had set aside to bring. You wanted it didn't you?" I said, trying to change the subject.

His eyes flickered back to mine. "No, it's yours, I was only borrowing it."

"Edward, I gave it to you, so that makes it yours."

His hand reached over feeling at the duffel bag on the seat. "Is it in here?"

"Yes I think so. It might be in one of the bags in the trunk, but I know I brought it."

Immediately Edward began unzipping the duffel bag, pulling it open as far as he could reach and his seatbelt would allow. He had a scowl on his face so I knew he wasn't concerned that it had been left behind…on the contrary.

Within moments his hands found the smooth cherry wood case filled with chess pieces, nestled in fine velvet to protect the hand painted finish. Because they no longer served exclusively as chess pieces safely contained on a chess board, they were a little worse for wear having received a fair share of minor nicks and scratches during their service in Edward's army. But the aesthetic quality of the pieces was hardly a consideration when compared to the hours of joy the inconspicuous chess set had brought to Edward over the course of the last several months.

It didn't surprise me when he put the case and the wood chess board on the floor in the back of the car, but his defiant attitude did. Granted his confidence had grown over the course of the last couple of months and with that we were given glimpses of the boy he would become, the head strong rather stubborn child that though always polite and conscientious, could become cantankerous when it suited him and he deemed the situation, safe from punishment. His surly attitude never extended to me or Jasper for that matter, but with the rest of the family he had no trouble expressing his feelings and opinions when he was encouraged to do so.

I took it as a validation that we were capable of mimicking humans so much so that we could care for one of their own and he could flourish under our guidance. His confidence was an affirmation that he was secure enough in his surroundings to defy us occasionally without suffering fears of retaliation or punishment. For Esme and Rosalie, it brought forth a snippet of pride that their little charge had a mind of his own and I too found the emergence of his personality gratifying.

But today it only brought me sadness as I suspected he was punishing me for not returning him to Esme and Rosalie for another drawn out round of goodbyes.

I'm not keeping it" he said abruptly when I failed to respond to his displacement of the chess set.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It won't get played with now. Maybe I'll give it to Emmett. Would that be alright with you?" I said diplomatically. Edward was staring at me again. He had slipped dangerously low in his seatbelt waiting for a reprimand, undoubtedly so he could ignore me but I was not concerned for his safety with me behind the wheel and I didn't comment not wanting our last moments together spent in conflict.

"Emmett doesn't like chess. He says it's dumb and he doesn't play army, not like Jasper. You should give it to Jasper."

"Is that what you want me to do?"

He glanced away than back, a hint of regret in his eyes. "Okay."

"It's your chess set, Edward. You can take it with you or give it to whoever you want."

"I'm not taking it with me. It might get broken or lost." Now Edward spoke regretfully, like he was remembering another time, another situation that spoke of the loss of a favored toy or treasure.

"Then I'll give it to Jasper and he'll keep it for you until you're older and can come back and get it." It had been on the tip of my tongue to tell him he could come for a visit but I knew that was not only inexcusable to say just as he was being returned to his parents; it was a blatant lie. He would not be visiting again and by the time he was of age, we would be gone.

"Okay. When I get older and more…responsible." He said more agreeably, his mood notably better.

And I knew why. He was already contemplating returning for a visit. He did not understand that he would never see us again. I caught my own pained expression in the review mirror and could not claim such ignorance.

The drive to Port Angeles was ridiculously short, hardly enough time for me to work out my goodbyes allowing myself to be distracted by Edward who had gotten over his disappointment of not saying one final goodbye to the family, now that he anticipated he would be seeing us again soon. He chatted about the school's pet snake, how it would be his turn to care for it next week and expressed regret that Emmett would not be there to share in the duties of reptile keeper.

Fortunately for Edward he would not have to move to another school. His parents would reside just within the city limits of Forks as ordered by the court and close to the Charlie Swan's home so Edward would even get to see his friend Bella again. His close proximity to us could still be an issue, not for him, we were well out of the city limits and the actual town of Forks offered little in the way of shopping for Alice so the odds of ever crossing paths with him was unlikely especially since we could smell him before he would ever see us.

But I had real concerns that Rosalie would not let it go, her animosity towards me had created an impenetrable wedge between us. She may and probably would visit him either as he slept or blatantly on the pretense of accidently running into him. I had to consider the possibility that we would have to leave Forks sooner than planned and would use that threat as leverage against Rosalie should she disobey me and attempt to remain in contact with him. She enjoyed Forks and would not be inclined to move again anytime soon.

"We're here Edward," I said feigning enthusiasm as I parked the car and turned in my seat to face him.

"We are? Is this where I'm going to live?" he said skeptically, looking out the window at the drab office building.

"No, son. This is a government building. Your social worker has her office here. Your parents are going to pick you up."

So I won't know where they live.

I quickly dialed her number and within moments the front door opened and the women that I had only met a few times emerged from the building smiling brightly. I suppose for her this was a triumphant day; the reuniting of a foster child with his parents. I would plaster on a fake smile and match her enthusiasm for a few moments ignoring the aching around the edges of the hole in my chest.

I quickly exited my car and busied myself with the luggage in the trunk as Edward struggled to pull the oversized duffle bag from the backseat.

"Here let me help you with that," Mrs. Grant said amicably, lifting the heavy bag onto her shoulder.

"It's all my stuff," Edward said a touch of pride in his voice.

"And so much stuff you have." She exclaimed, respectfully ignoring me. No doubt she had dealt with this exchange of custody many times, recognizing the range of emotions at play, one party devastated and the other joyous. She would know I wasn't in the mood for idyll chit chat.

I pulled two large suitcases from the trunk and looked at her expectantly.

"You can leave the suitcases here on the curb. I'm just going to put this in the entrance and bring Edward inside and I'll be back for them."

"I can take them in, that's not a problem. Unless..." My eyes flickered to Edward who was looking at me uncertainly.

"No…they're waiting in my office," Mrs. Grant answered solemnly reading my thoughts. "That would fine, there's a conference room right inside the door. You can say your goodbyes there."

My goodbyes? Is that all that was left?

Once we were inside, the bags safely stashed in the empty room, she left us, understanding our need for privacy. Edward looked around nervously, no doubt feeling the first inking of anxiety; it would be the first time he would see his parents in almost two years.

"Are you going to stay?" he asked timidly as I settled into a rigid chair in the sparsely decorated room.

I shook my head slowly and held my arms out to him. Reluctantly he came to me and I lifted him up into my lap much as Esme often did. My relationship with Edward was usually not physical, he enjoyed that with the women in his life, but I could not deny myself the opportunity now that it would be my last and I pulled him to me kissing him on the side of the head.

"Have I told you how much I'm going to miss you, Edward." I whispered hoarsely, hardly able to form the words to speak.

"I think you might have mentioned it." He said shyly, but smiled slightly when I managed to chuckle at his contrived cheekiness.

I wanted to tell him how we would never forget him, how he had changed our lives, made us better people…almost human, how through all the years roaming this earth and all the considerable experiences we had lived through, none of it came close to influencing or affecting us as he had. But to tell him all that I would have to also say that this was goodbye, that we would never see him again, not ever and I couldn't do that; besides he was only seven, he could not be expected to understand.

"Be a good boy and I'll make sure that Jasper gets your chess set," I said gruffly, inhaling his scent one last time, understanding that I would never forget it, but unable to let it go, to become only a part of my memories for all time.

"Make sure you tell him it's still mine, not his."

I felt his arm circle my neck and felt his own warm lips on my cheek.

"I'll make sure he understands that it's yours."

Mrs. Grant cleared her throat. It was time to let go.

"Edward, your parents are upstairs in my office waiting for you. Are you ready?"

Abruptly he released his grip from my neck and I grudgingly let him go watching as his small hand slipped into hers that act alone reminding me of my devastated wife and wondering if she would be able to forgive me for all the pain I had caused her by letting us keep the child in the first place.

He turned as he was leaving and waved his free hand in my direction, smiling reassuringly, as if he were trying to comfort me in my grief, a grief he could not even begin to understand, but he said nothing more.

"Goodbye Edward," I mumbled as he disappeared out the door and it was only than that I noticed clenched in my hand, the small figure of a soldier on horseback, the knight from his chess set. I stared at it for a moment before stuffing it in my pocket, completely dumbfounded. How had he managed to place it in my hand without me even noticing?

Once behind the wheel of my car, I sat resolutely still for several moments trying to compose myself. If I stayed as I was I would undoubtedly be able to pick up the conversation between Edward and his parents; perhaps something in that conversation would ease my sorrow. But listening to his soft footsteps as he shuffled next to Mrs. Grant, I only heard her voice and it propelled me to reexamine my attempts to eavesdrop.

"Do you have a headache Edward?"

I put the car into drive and pulled out from the parking lot, not wanting to hear his reply.

Author Notes:

I know…I know…let me just say it for you. What the HELL happened! And no this is not where the Cullens abandon Edward…just a little bump in the road.

Please don't hate Carlisle. He's just so damn...pragmatic.

As for Edward, as sad as it is to say foster children seldom want to leave their abusive parents and will without fail welcome the opportunity to be returned to them.

Reviews always appreciated. Thanks for reading.