A/N: Nope, nothing to do with the song. XP I felt like an angsty chapter was in order so things didn't get too perfect for them!

Some background info: In the part about Erika's age, Carly is alluding to a Japanese saying that girls under six and women over sixty can do whatever they want. Obviously, since it's a saying it's a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get the general idea.

All Carly had wanted to do was spend some quality time with her children. It was a beautiful day for so late in the year, and Jack was busy until the evening promoting his new book, so she'd decided to drive Erika and Rosie into the city and walk to the park. She could have just played with them on their own grounds, but she'd wanted them to get out and see something other than gated private property. Just the three of them, without any bodyguards.

But almost as soon as they got out of the car, things went wrong. The reporters swooped down on them like vultures.

"Nagisa-sama!" one of them shouted, "Nagisa-sama, can I ask you a few questions, please?"

He was using only the most polite sentence structure and honorific, yet Carly knew that all these people didn't know what to make of her at best, or just plain disliked her at worst.

"I'm sorry, but now is a little inconvenient," she answered, trying her best to be polite in return. She turned away, only to be assailed by more people with cameras.

"Nagisa-sama, that article you wrote...?"

"No comment," Carly said coldly.

Not this again! Carly had done a report on the role of women in Neo Domino Security. She had been excruciatingly careful to not break any ethical standards, yet the whole city seemed shocked that she had even hinted at inequality. Jack had warned her that this would either make her career or ruin her, and to be honest she still wasn't sure which one it would be.

"And what about your husband's memoir?"

"We're doing an interview on NNN this Saturday," Carly replied for seemingly the thousandth time this month. "That's all I can tell you right now."

All right, now she really had to get out of here. Rosie, who scared easily, was starting to cry. So far, Erika hadn't made a sound...she was just fixing the reporters with a hostile glare.

Then came the question that she had been dreading.

"Nagisa-sama, we've heard that his book contains unfavorable allegations against former Director Godwin..."

"Don't talk about that! There are small children here!" Carly snapped. Not good...her anger was taking over. She was fully aware of how difficult it had been for Jack to reveal those things even just to her.

"But are they true?"

Erika finally snapped.

"My daddy doesn't tell lies!" she shrieked. "And he's the King, so you have to be nice to him!"

It was a good thing she was only five. Just a year or two older and this would have been a shocking breach of etiquette. For the moment, it could be passed off as cute and precocious.

The camerapeople all moved to snap pictures of Erika's scowling face, which gave Carly the opportunity she needed to escape.

"Run!" she shouted as she scooped up the bawling Rosie.

"But..."

"Do as you are told, Erika!" Carly admonished in as scary a tone as she could manage. Luckily, Erika obeyed, and the crowd of people decided not to pursue them.

Once they were in the safety of their car, she felt a bit safer, but no less anxious.

This would have never gotten so ugly if it were Jack taking them out. He knew how to deal with these situations. No wonder Erika preferred him to Carly. She felt like the worst mother on the planet as she fought back tears.

Plus, not so many years ago she had been one of that faceless mob herself. Had she really been that terrible? She'd been so concerned about getting the best scoop that she rarely thought about how her targets would feel.

Once they got home and the girls were in the hands of a nanny, Carly went straight to her room and cried.