Please review!

"Wait, she spoke up to her teacher about another student and she's in trouble?" Francis frowned into the phone, gazing out the window of his office. "This school is supposed to be one of the best in D.C. and it's operating in the dark ages. I'm going to call them."

"Don't bother. I'm already here." Claire huffed out a breath as she walked through the front doors. "Who are we kidding? I'm always here. I'll see what's going on and handle it. The teacher said she wanted to keep her after school for a while, but I'm bringing James out with me whether or not she thinks James has learned whatever lesson she believes needs to be learned." She locked her car as she headed for the front doors to the school. "But while I have you on the phone, what time do you think you'll be home tonight?"

Francis glanced around the massive amount of work in his office before addressing the phone. "I'll be home on time tonight. I don't care who gets mad that something isn't done on time. Sounds like my girls will need me more this evening. I'll pick up dinner. Freddy's sound good?"

"Sounds perfect. Give him our love." Claire smiled softly as her heels clicked down the hallway, waving a hand in at the office receptionist. After bidding farewell to him, she hung up her phone and tucked it into her pants pocket before locating the door to James's classroom. She knocked twice before walking inside, eyes immediately landing on her daughter sitting alone at her table with the only other person in the room being her teacher.

"Mommy!" James beamed, standing up from her chair. She moved to rush to Claire, but was halted by her teacher's voice.

"Ah, James, remember what I told you." Ms. Heaton chimed. "You need to remain seated until it's four."

"Excuse me?" Claire felt her temper flare, something that was hard to do in such a short amount of time. "What did you just say to my daughter? Because, it sounds like you just told her to sit like a dog and not come to her mother like any child would after having a rough day." She cast her eyes to James, softening for her. "Come here, sweetheart." She ignored the protest of the teacher, quickly picking up her daughter and resting her on her hip before readdressing Ms. Heaton. "Now, what is the meaning of all this?"

"Ms. Underwood-"

"Mrs." Claire corrected.

Ms. Heaton gave a small smile. "Mrs. Underwood, I understand you are upset, but this is still my classroom. You can't just come in and take charge."

"I would never dream of doing such a thing. While what you do is necessary and commendable, I have no desire to be around children other than my own daughter. You can have this job. But, my daughter is my business, and she's mine. If you think you trump me in some way over that just because we're in a school, you are very misled in that belief. Now, I asked a question. Why am I here?" Claire repeated with a raised brow, daring the woman to challenge her further.

Ms. Heaton huffed out a breath, crossing her arms over her chest. "Frankly, Mrs. Underwood, you are here because James has been tattling on numerous students in the class for the tiniest of things, and it is starting to become disruptive. It's gotten to the point where she's making up things."

"What is it you believe my daughter has lied about?" Claire questioned, stalking closer to Ms. Heaton's desk.

"Today, she claimed that one of the boys that she's come to me about three times this week bit her this afternoon during recess." Ms. Heaton explained. "With James telling me about him constantly, I doubt he was anywhere near her for fear of getting in trouble."

Claire gazed down at her daughter. "James, did the little boy bite you?"

"Yeah," James nodded, rubbing the sleeve over her arm, "when I told Ms. Heaton she called me a liar and put me in timeout."

"Did he bite your arm?" Claire asked, receiving a sad nod from James. "Can I see?"

James lifted up her sleeve, revealing a very evident bite mark just above her wrist. It was already starting to bruise, and a couple of the boy's teeth had broken James's skin. "He was mad that I told the teacher he'd been picking on my friend Mabel. He's been stealing her things and draws on her arm, and she doesn't like it. She was scared to tell the teacher though."

Claire hummed, glaring at the teacher. "I can see why."

Ms. Heaton gaped like a fish out of water. "James didn't show me the bite mark."

"You wouldn't let me. You told me to be quiet." James argued back, tears welling in her eyes. "You didn't believe me."

Claire rubbed James's back when she huddled against her, but she was glad James continued to stare back at her teacher instead of turn into her shoulder. "While I'm not a fan of whistleblowing either, I work with adults. You are handling four year olds who need the aid of an adult yet. Even if you were bothered by how often James was coming to you, it's your job to help these children, is it not? Furthermore, I bet my daughter's claims to you have all been true, but you decided not to believe her today because you didn't want to deal with the little boy again. Whether it's because of him or his parents, I don't care which, but I can guarantee that you will not be making this mistake again."

Ms. Heaton swallowed hard. "Mrs. Underwood, I'm very sorry. I just didn't know. Like I said, I hadn't seen the bite mark. The boy hadn't bothered her-"

"If you're trying to let yourself off the hook for this, I'm not going to let you." Claire seethed, leaning forward. "Sit down!" Ms. Heaton nearly fell into her chair, taken aback by the sudden outburst. Claire set James down on her feet. "Go gather your things, sweetheart. We need to speak with the principal and then we'll be going home." The surprise that clouded the teacher's eyes only goaded Claire on more as she leaned over the desk. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to chat with the principal, a longtime friend of mine, and let her know about what's been going on. If she doesn't fire you for your disgusting behavior, I'd be surprised. In the off chance you just get a warning, I will be asking James about you and your behavior every day. I'll talk to the other students' moms and put them on notice. I will ensure this never happens again, because I swear to whatever you believe in that I will make you regret this day for the rest of your life. If I ever get called back down here for something like this, if you ever tell my daughter not to come to me again, I will destroy you."

Claire pushed off the desk, glad to leave the teacher stunned speechless, and turned to find James patiently waiting by the door with her things. "Ready to go?"

James nodded quickly. "Can we wash my arm when we get home?"

"We're getting out the first aid kit when we get home. Your arm will be cleaner than a hospital by the time we're done." Claire winked at her before scooping her up and turning back to the silent woman. "Goodnight, Ms. Heaton."

"You okay, sweetheart?" Claire asked when they finally made it home. She was helping James get unstrapped from her seat, collecting her things to bring inside. "I'm sorry that happened today."

"I'm okay." James breathed. "Is this why you and Daddy don't tell people when bad things happen?"

Claire sighed, leaning against the car door. "Honestly, James, most of the time there's not really people to tell. If there is, we use it so it can benefit us. Adults don't really have to answer to anybody unless they commit a crime. What your teacher did was wrong though. You know that."

James nodded. "I'll just start doing what you and Daddy do if the truth doesn't work. I'll use it."

"You will, huh?" Claire chuckled before kissing James forehead. "Sometimes, the truth doesn't work. People don't always care about the truth. Just be careful in how you use it. You don't want somebody to use something against you. Now, let's get inside. Dealing with your teacher made me hungry."

James giggled as she climbed out of the car, running ahead of Claire to get inside their home. When she walked in to the lights already on, she turned back to Claire walking up the front steps. "Someone's here."

Francis grinned hearing his daughter from the foyer, walking around the island and peering down the hallway to see his four year old. "Not just anyone, darlin'."

James gasped as she whipped around, immediately sprinting to Francis. "Daddy, you're home!"

"I am." Francis belly laughed as he picked her up, hugging her tightly against him. "I figured I was needed more here than at the office. Sounds like you had an interesting day." He saw Claire's eye roll as she closed the front door once inside. "Did your mother talk to your teacher or the principal?"

"Both." James stated. "I think Mommy scared my teacher."

Claire walked down the hallway towards them. "Rightfully so. Francis, how that woman got her license to teach is beyond me. She called James a liar when she told her a little boy bit her arm." She stormed over to the fridge, the conversation riling her up again. "She didn't let James explain or anything. Put James in time out and told her not to speak without even looking at the mark on her arm."

Francis's eyes widened. "A mark?" He glanced down at James in his arms when she lifted her sleeve to show him the purple ring of bruises and cuts on her flesh. "James, that looks like it hurts."

"It has a heartbeat." James stated calmly, gazing down at it. "I wanted an ice pack, but Ms. Heaton kept ignoring me even when I raised my hand."

Francis reached for her arm gently and touched the wound, glad when she didn't show signs of discomfort. "It's a little warm. We'll have to watch it to make sure it heals. Did the teacher let you wash your arm at all?" He asked, jaw clenching when James shook her head. He turned to Claire. "I'll take care of the teacher."

Claire shook her head. "She's handled for now. If Fiona doesn't fire her, you and I will intervene. She assured me though she would handle the situation and the little boy tomorrow. I'm taking James to work with me at the office. There is no way I am letting her near that woman after today."

"I agree." Francis started firmly, studying his wife carefully. "Something else happened though." He felt her fuming, but she remained silent. "What happened, Claire? Your Momma Bear comes out whenever something concerns James, but this level is something I haven't seen since Elizabeth threatened to file for custody of James."

"James, why don't you go get changed for dinner? Bring down one of your hair ties too. When you come down, we'll clean your arm and eat." Claire suggested while staring back at Francis. When he kissed her head and set her down, Claire waited until James bounded out of the room and heard her climbing the stairs before answering Francis's question. "The teacher tried to stop James from coming to me."

Francis frowned, walking around the island to her. "What?"

Claire felt her emotions starting to surface, joining the rage she had felt in that classroom. "When I walked into the room, James was so happy to see me and stood up to rush over to me, but the teacher told her to sit back down. That she wasn't allowed, that it was wrong of her. As you can imagine, that infuriated me, but the look of heartbreak of James's face thinking she wasn't allowed to come to me pushed me over the edge." She sucked in a deep breath as she leaned back against the counter, letting Francis take her hips into his hands and crowd her space. "I was shaking, Francis. Oh, I was so mad. I'm surprised I didn't scare James. I scared myself. That's probably the closest I've ever come to killing someone with my bare hands."

"You still did better than me. You know I would've been planning her demise in that moment." Francis stated, trying to comfort her. He gave a lot of credit to Claire. She was very hard to set off. She was controlled, practiced. No one really knew how to push her, but James was a soft spot. Like any child to any mother, Claire was fiercely protective of their daughter, to the point where she would demolish the world if it meant James would be safe. Today wasn't the first time someone tried to keep James from Claire, whether it be Elizabeth or a coordinator trying to steer Claire to something else, but he knew it affected her the same every time. He'd seen it every time, had caused the first one, and it only made him love and respect his wife more. While James may be their vulnerability to others, she also brought out the strongest and cruelest parts of themselves that were willing to do anything. "Claire, I think most mothers would have reacted the same way. If you're worried about James being scared, she seemed more shaken up by her teachers actions than yours."

Claire shook her head, annoyed with herself as she sniffled. "I'm just being emotional. Maternal thing, I guess. Someone telling James she couldn't walk over to me just felt like the air getting knocked out of me. Something primal took over."

Francis cupped her face in his hands, wiping the tears away from under her eyes. "Claire, this is normal. I know you think these feelings are weakness, but it's just reacting. You attacked first. This is the aftermath, not a weakness." He pulled her into his chest, happy when she tucked herself under his chin. "It's natural. Biological. If it were any other species of being, they would've slaughtered the teacher, grabbed their baby, and walked away with a full belly." He felt his face heat up when Claire pulled back to stare at him with confused eyes. "James and I got stuck on the discovery channel and couldn't find the remote last week."

"No wonder she's been talking about animals so much." Claire chuckled before tilting her head and pecking Francis's lips. "I still want to tear her apart. Can't imagine what you would've done."

"Oh, I'm very much like a bear. I would've ended her and been on my way with my cub to sleep in a cave." Francis stated plainly, earning a laugh from his wife. "I'll grab the first aid kid."

As Francis went to retrieve the item from the bathroom, James came back in wearing comfier clothes and holding up a hair tie like a trophy. "I got it!" She called out, rounding the corner to Claire.

Claire smiled as she lifted James up to sit her on the counter. Combing her fingers through her little girl's brown hair, she started pulling up up and back to protect from the barbecue sauce destined to be smeared on her daughter's cheeks. She glanced down at the angry bite mark now uncovered on James's arm. "If that starts to really hurt, you'll have to tell me. I don't want it to get infected."

"Am I really going with you to work tomorrow?" James asked, crossing her legs over each other on the counter.

"You are," Claire confirmed with a nod, "I don't trust your teacher. You are the most important person to me in the whole world; I can't just leave you alone with anybody. That's why I got so upset with her at your school, because I should be able to trust her with your health and safety when I'm not there."

James shook her head disapprovingly. "I told her she was going to be in trouble with you, but she didn't listen."

Francis snickered hearing that as he walked back in, seeing Claire chuckle as well. "We've taught you well, little cub."

Claire giggled at her daughter's confusion at her father's words, pulling James's back against her chest as Francis started pulling items out of the first aid kit. "Your father thinks we're a bunch of bears."

"Bears?" James giggled. "Mommy is more like a swan."

"A bear and a swan, huh?" Francis faked deep thought for a moment. "I haven't seen that union on the discovery channel. What would that make you, darlin? A Bwan? A Bean?"

Claire smirked into James's hair. "A Swear."

Francis dropping his chin to his chest, chuckling as he shook his head. "Now, that's quite fitting."

Please review!