A/N: Thank you so much for continuing to read and review! I love reading each kind word you have to say.

I'm still not a lawyer, a counselor, OR a social worker, but this is fiction so please continue to just go with it.

Once again, there's no song. I'm just too lazy at this point! ;)

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.

Carlisle POV

"Daddy, where we going?" Emmett yawned from the backseat.

I looked in the review mirror and smiled at him. "Sorry it's so early, buddy. We're going to eat breakfast with Pops."

"I just seened him last night, but then I waked up in the big bed with you!" he exclaimed. "How you do that, Daddy?"

I chuckled at his explanation. After I left the hospital, I drove straight to pick up Emmett. He was asleep on the couch when I got there, and I wasn't surprised when he didn't wake up on the way home. Even though my afternoon nap had helped a lot, I was still tired after being at the hospital all day. Instead of taking the energy to put Emmett in his room, I laid him in bed beside me and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I hated having to wake Emmett up early, but Eleazar invited us to eat breakfast with him before I went back to the hospital for the meeting with the social worker. I immediately took him up on his invitation. My skills in the kitchen were still a bit limited, and a good meal would be a nice way to start the long day. I was also looking forward to being able to talk to Eleazar. We hadn't had a chance to talk since everything had happened, and I wanted to know his opinion. Advice would be welcomed as well since I knew he and Carmen had been through the process of bringing a child into an already established family. The situation was different when they took me home with them, but there were enough similarities for his advice to be applicable.

"I picked you up at Nana and Pops' house when I left the hospital last night," I explained. "You were snoring away when I got there!"

"Daddy!" he exclaimed in a giggle. "I no snore."

"How do you know? You were sleeping," I teased.

I saw his puzzled expression in the mirror and laughed as he shrugged his shoulders and went back to enjoying the car ride. His easy-going nature was one of my favorite things about him, and I hoped it remained throughout his whole life.

"Where Mommy?" he asked suddenly. "She not in the big bed."

"Mommy stayed at the hospital last night."

"With Rosie and Jasper?"

I nodded as I smiled, glad that he remembered them. "Yes, she stayed with them."

I had wanted to talk to Emmett about Rosalie and Jasper, but I wasn't sure of how to begin the conversation. But since he had brought it up, I figured it was as good of a time as any.

"Did you have fun playing with Rosalie and Jasper yesterday?" I asked.

"Uh huh. They fun. And I got a puppy," he said as he petted the stuffed dog that was in his lap. The dog was his favorite toy at the moment, and he insisted on bringing it with him to breakfast. It was obviously that Jasper had liked his as well, especially when he spoke.

I waited to see if Emmett was going to say anything else about his time with Rosalie and Jasper, but he remained silent as he danced in his car seat to the song on the radio. I decided that I would have to start the conversation again since he wasn't going to.

"Hey Emmett," I began slowly as I turned the music down. "Do you remember when Mommy and I talked to you about being a brother and another little boy or girl coming to stay with us?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "They live with us and you be Daddy and Mommy bes Mommy and you be mine, too."

"That's right, buddy," I smiled, proud of his memory. "We would be their mommy and daddy, but we would still be your mommy and daddy. And you would get to play with them."

He nodded again, and the car ride went back to being silent. Having an important conversation with Emmett while he was still sleepy was apparently not a good idea. When I wanted him to have a lot to say, he was quiet instead.

I knew the conversation needed to continue anyway, but I wasn't sure how much to say. There was still a possibility that we wouldn't be bringing Rosalie and Jasper home with us. I didn't want to think about it, but we didn't get to automatically take them home just because we wanted to. Even though I didn't want to get Emmett's hopes up, I didn't feel right bringing him into the situation without any warning. He needed some kind of heads-up.

"Em, would you like it if Rosalie and Jasper came to live with us?"

I looked back in the mirror quickly to see that Emmett had turned his head to face me instead of looking out the window.

"Would that be okay?" I asked again when he didn't answer.

"Rosie and Jasper live in our house?" he asked curiously. "They be my brother and sister?"

"They would live with us and be your brother and sister," I confirmed.

"But where they sleep? And how they get there? And how long stay? And where I sleep?"

"Hold on, buddy," I laughed. "Slow down a little." If I hadn't have stopped him, I knew the questions would be endless. I wanted to try to explain a little to see if it would clear things up for him.

We made it to the restaurant, and I parked the car before turning in my seat to face him.

"If they come home with us, we would bring them. I'm not sure how long they'll stay, but hopefully forever," I said, using a term he would hopefully understand. This wasn't going to be a one night sleep-over. This was a life-long commitment, and Emmett needed to know.

"You would still sleep in your room, and Rosalie and Jasper would have their own rooms."

"There lots of rooms," he said while nodding. "But, Daddy, can they sleep with me? I has a big bed, and I no fall off."

"We'll see," I said with a chuckle. "So is everything cool?"

"Cool," he agreed and reached up to high-five me.

With our conversation over for the moment, I finally got out of the car only to be hit with a steady, drizzling rain. Thankfully, I was wearing a water-proof jacket, and I put the hood over my head to try to have some protection from the wet. I unbuckled Emmett quickly, and put his own hood up before pulling him into my arms. He held on tightly and hid his face in my shoulder as I walked toward the entrance. The stuffed dog was smashed between us with our bodies keeping it dry.

When we finally made it inside, Eleazar was already waiting for us. After I took Emmett's jacket off, I put him down so he could run over to Eleazar. Once mine had been removed as well, we were seated and given menus.

"So have you talked to Ezzie this morning?" Eleazar asked as we looked over the menus.

"No, I haven't," I said, shaking my head slightly. "She keeps her phone off at the hospital. Mine is always on if she needs to call me, but I haven't heard anything which leads me to believe they had a quiet night."

"She seemed so happy yesterday," he mused. "Well, she's always happy, but yesterday was different."

"I think it's the kids," I explained. "Esme always wants to share her love, and now there are two little ones who need it. She's ecstatic right now, but I don't want to think about what will happen if things don't work out."

We were interrupted by a waitress coming to take our orders. After she brought our drinks, I got Emmett settled with the crayons and paper provided so he wouldn't be bored while we were talking.

"But do you think it will work out?" Eleazar asked once we could talk again.

"You know, I really think it will," I pondered. "We prayed for an answer for so long, and we've known that we wanted to adopt from foster care for several months now. This timing is almost perfect since we're almost finished with the process, and I can't think of any reasons why a social worker would not let them come home with us. Can you?"

"No, son. I can't," he said. "Esme has plenty of time to devote to them, and you could as well. If this happens, please don't hesitate to take time off. That's one thing you don't have to worry about."

I smiled and thanked him. I had already taken the day off so I would be available for the meeting, and I was prepared to take the next day off as well depending on any decisions made. In the future, there was always the option of me taking a sabbatical or possibly working half days. Esme would probably need me around for the first few days at least until she got used to dealing with three kids at once.

"Have you talked with Liam?" he asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

I nodded. "I called him last night, so he knows exactly what's going on. He'll be ready for today if need be."

I had meant to call Liam earlier in the day, but I didn't find any time until later at night. Liam was a night-owl, though, so it didn't matter that I called late. He laughed after I filled him in on the situation. Apparently, we had an unorthodox way of doing things- finding the children first and then talking to the social worker. In my opinion, we were saving the social worker some time that would have been spent finding the right child for us. Since it was late, Liam volunteered to call Mary Randall for us in the morning. He was hoping to be able to meet with her so that they would be in the same place when the social worker would most likely contact them.

"It sounds to me like you have everything ready to go," he said with a smile. "I know you feel like God is leading you to do this, and I have faith that you're right. He's never led you astray before, and I'm sure He won't now. Your aunt and I are behind you one hundred percent, and if this comes to a fight, we'll be right there with you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and smiled back. Having my uncle's support had always meant everything to me. I didn't remember much of my father, so Eleazar had always been who I looked up to. Even as a grown man, it was still a great feeling to know I made him proud and he was there for me if I needed him.

Our food was soon ready, and the conversation turned to lighter subjects as we ate. Eleazar and I couldn't really have a long discussion without me having to stop talking to prevent Emmett from try to feed the stuffed dog or accidentally spilling his drink. We still managed to keep some conversation going mainly focusing on sports, the news, and some of the things going on at the church.

After taking Emmett to the bathroom twice, he finally sat still to finish his breakfast. Eleazar and I were already finished before his plate was half-way cleared, but since he was doing an okay job feeding himself, I left him to it so I could talk more with Eleazar.

"So how did you do it?" I began slowly. He looked very confused as to what I was referring to, so I knew I needed to elaborate.

"How did you bring a toddler into a family that was already established? Whenever I try to imagine it, I just can't figure out how this will work."

Eleazar chuckled softly and nodded, finally understanding what I was asking about.

"The best thing I can tell you is to learn as you go. The kids have had two years of life being used to one thing, only to be forced into a whole environment."

I sighed and nodded. What he was saying was what I had thought about already. The unknown worried me, though. I just hoped spending the last couple of days with Rosalie and Jasper would make the transition easier on all of us.

"It was a bit different when we brought you home with us," he continued thoughtfully. "You had grown up seeing us on a regular basis so familiarity wasn't an issue. When you parents passed away, there was no question that you would come with us. We were able to mourn together and become a new and stronger family unit."

"Katie was a little older than him," he said, gesturing toward Emmett. "But it still took time to find a new normal, and it will be that way for you. You don't have the advantage of Rosalie and Jasper knowing you their whole lives, though."

I nodded because I knew this was true. Two days was nothing compared to two years.

"We don't know much of anything about their lives before the kidnapping," I said with a sigh. "From what we do know, it doesn't sound like their mother was able to be around for them much. It will definitely be different for them to have two parents around all the time."

"I'm fairly confident that it will be a good different," he said, smiling as he relaxed in his seat. "Having you and Esme around will be good for them. You'll support them and help them heal, and in the end, they'll feel secure and loved. That's all I ever wanted for Katie and you- to make sure you knew you were safe and you knew you were loved by us and God. I think every parent's goal is a variation of that, and you and Esme are already excellent parents to Emmett. Adding two more blessings to your lives will not change that. Just give it time, and everything will fall into place."

"Well, I guess Kate and I turned out all right," I joked to try to lighten the once again heavy mood.

"I think so, too," Eleazar laughed. "You've both made us proud. Very proud."

"Done!" Emmett yelled as he dropped his fork on his now empty plate.

Leave it to him to completely turn a conversation around. I tried to keep myself from laughing as I shushed him and reminded him to use his inside voice. He apologized, but I told him it was okay as I kissed his temple. There weren't many other people seated near us, and it didn't appear that his outburst disturbed anyone.

I knew that since Emmett was finished eating, he would be ready to move on to the next activity. I quickly glanced at my watch and saw that I needed to leave for the hospital soon if I wanted to see Esme and the kids before the meeting with the social worker. Since we were all finished, Eleazar requested the check and insisted on paying the bill. I wanted to argue, but one look from him stopped me, so I let him treat us.

Once the bill was taken care of, I started helping Emmett put his jacket back on. He giggled when I zipped his puppy into the jacket with him, but I wanted to make sure he didn't leave it at the restaurant and it seemed like a good way to make sure it didn't get wet.

Eleazar and I also put our jackets on before heading to the door. It was still raining steadily, so I knew our goodbyes needed to happen before going outside. I pulled Emmett into my arms, hugging him tightly.

"Bye, buddy," I said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Be good for Pops, okay?"

He nodded, but looked at me with a confused expression. "But Daddy, where you go now?"

"I have to go back to the hospital to someone about Rosalie and Jasper. Mommy and I will be home soon, and then we won't leave again," I explained quickly as his brow furrowed, forming a crease on his little forehead. I still didn't feel any better about leaving Emmett, especially since I saw how much he wanted me to stay with him. I hoped the meeting would be over quickly, and we would have a new family of five by the afternoon. Once everything was worked out, we could spend a few quiet days at home together before any of us went back to the real world.

"You gonna bring them home and we play?" he asked as his sad expression brightened.

"We'll see," I said with a smile. "That's why I have to go to the hospital and you need to go with Pops."

This time, Emmett readily agreed, and it was easy to pass him to Eleazar. He began talking about some kind of city they were building which had been their special project together, and I promised him that I would look at it when I picked him up. After a hug, a smile, and a nod from Eleazar, he carried a chattering Emmett to his car while I walked quickly to mine as I chuckled at my son.

As I drove to the hospital, I replayed Eleazar's advice in my head. Time seemed to be the most important thing he stressed. And with time, came patience. Esme and I were going to need so much patience to get through this new stage in our lives. I was a little hesitant to pray for patience because I knew that God would begin testing me, but I was going to need it. Rosalie and Jasper needed us to support them as they healed no matter how long it would take, and we had to be willing to give them the time.

No matter what, we needed to stick together. If we received the opportunity to bring Rosalie and Jasper into our family, we needed to be just that for them. Family. Family didn't appear to be something that they were accustomed to, but it was certainly what was going to help them heal.

Another thing that stuck out in my mind was love. Esme and I already loved them, though, so that wasn't going to be a problem. They would just need to realize for themselves that we would always care for them and protect them, along with everything else that came with love.

When I finally parked in my space at the hospital, I was still on time. Traffic had been light because it was a little bit later in the morning than when the usual work commute was in full force. After I exited the car and locked the doors, I quickly made my way up to the pediatric floor. I couldn't wait to see Rosalie and Jasper, especially since I hadn't had a chance to spend very much time with them while I was working. Work hadn't been my top priority in quite some time, but it was even lower on the list now.

I didn't see many people as I walked down the hallway, and the few nurses that I did pass smiled knowingly at me. By now, word was already out in parts of the hospital. Most of the doctors and nurses I worked with knew that Esme and I wanted the children. Based on their smiles and kind words, I believed that they were supportive of us, and it was nice to know that we had more people behind us other than our family.

When I arrived at the correct room, I didn't bother knocking on the door since it was halfway open. My first glance into the room as I entered did not reveal anyone. The blinds were opening and the lights were turned on, but the room seemed empty.

"Hello?" I called. "Is anyone here?"

Right after I spoke, a little blonde head poked out of the bathroom door, and I was greeted with a smile before the head disappeared. A few seconds later, the little head emerged once more, and this time, the rest of Jasper's body did, too. I knelt down with my arms out to get ready to catch him as he rushed toward me.

"Good morning, buddy," I said cheerfully as I scooped him into my arms. I stood up and hugged him tightly before kissing his face multiple times. He giggled and threw his arms around my neck, holding on to me just as tightly.

I walked over to the couch and sat down. As I got comfortable, I noticed that Jasper was only wearing a diaper. I reached over to the chair beside me to grab a blanket to keep him warm, but I took a minute to look at his bruises before covering him. Most of them had already faded, just as Peter said, but a few light ones remained on his torso and arms. Seeing his tiny little body marked still upset me greatly, even if the marks had almost totally disappeared. I kissed his forehead once more, trying to communicate even a fraction of how much he was loved and that I would never let anything or anyone hurt him again. I hoped that Jasper's contented sigh as he snuggled against me was proof that maybe he understood.

"Where is everyone, buddy?" I asked as I covered him with the blanket.

"We're in here," Esme called from the small bathroom. Before I could ask another question, Esme came out of the bathroom cradling Rosalie who was wrapped in a towel.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I greeted her. "Good morning, Rosalie."

Rosalie glanced at me to acknowledge my greeting, and I was happy to see that her eyes held no fear. Even if she didn't speak or even smile, I took it as a small victory that she was not afraid to be in the same room as me.

"Good morning, Carlisle," Esme said with a smile. "Sorry you couldn't find us. We had to have an unplanned bath time."

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Peter and I brought breakfast," Charlotte announced as she came out of the bathroom with Rosalie and Jasper's pajamas. "And apparently toddlers and cinnamon rolls don't mix."

"Icing everywhere," Esme stressed with a roll of her eyes.

I chuckled as Charlotte shrugged. Esme shook her head, but I could tell she really thought it was funny. I thought it was probably a good thing for Charlotte to figure some things out now before her little one came along.

"But I bet they enjoyed it," I insisted. "The messiest foods are always the favorites."

Charlotte and Esme both agreed that they had enjoyed it, and it was a relief to know that they didn't have any trouble with eating. I couldn't blame them for not liking the hospital food, and I was glad Peter and Charlotte had been thoughtful enough to bring something better in for them to eat.

Esme laid Rosalie on the bed and finished drying her off. Once she was dry, it was time for a diaper to be put on which was very unwelcomed. It hurt to hear Rosalie's cries, and I tried to focus my attention on distracting Jasper. My efforts were probably worthless though. Jasper's sad expression showed that he did know his sister was hurting, and it made me even more determined to somehow take the pain away from both of them.

With Esme being the one putting the diaper on her, Rosalie seemed so much calmer. The tears couldn't be stopped, but she was not squirming or screaming like during the scene I had witnessed only the day before. I assumed that Charlotte had shown Esme what to do, and she actually finished very quickly. As soon as she took the gloves she was wearing off, Rosalie practically jumped into her arms. Once she had her pacifier and was being held, she was comfortable again. I took this as another victory and hoped that diaper changes would not be a big deal at all sometime very soon.

I wondered if Rosalie and Jasper were going to have to put their pajamas back on, but my mental question was answered when Charlotte handed Esme some clothes out of the bag that Carmen had brought. Esme explained that upon going through the bag, they found extra outfits for the kids as well as more books, cups, and blankets.

It didn't surprise me in the least that Carmen had brought so much for them, and I had a feeling she probably had even more to give later. This was her way to show Rosalie and Jasper that she loved them. Even if she couldn't be close to them and use physical ways to show them, it was easy for her to help provide things they needed or liked. Getting spoiled by grandparents was also something they were going to have to get used to happening because I knew it was unavoidable. If we were given the opportunity to make the children ours, they would never have to question how much they were wanted or how thankful we were to have them in our lives.

Charlotte handed me the clothes for Jasper, and we split up as usual with me dressing Jasper and Esme dressing Rosalie. I had a feeling we would be doing that many times in the near future. I didn't want Esme to have to do everything, and since I couldn't help with Rosalie too, I was happy to do anything I could for Jasper.

A few minutes later, they were both dressed, and it was no surprise that Carmen had bought the correct sizes. Jasper's new outfit was a long sleeved white body suit with some brown sweatpants. There was also a blue, white, and brown sweatshirt, but I decided to save that for whenever he went outside. He also had a little pair of tennis shoes, but I left those off as well, opting instead for only a pair of socks. Rosalie had on a light blue long-sleeved dress, complete with ruffles along the bottom hem. Her outfit had leggings to match as well as a brown crocheted hat with a blue bow attached. I didn't know if all little girls liked having something on or in their hair, but she certainly seemed to like it.

It was amazing to see what a bath and clean clothes did for them. They both seemed so much happier and content, and it was such a joy to see them feeling better. They were definitely ready to leave the hospital; the only thing they needed was somewhere to go.

Charlotte hooked Rosalie up to her IV for hopefully the last time, and I could tell she wasn't happy about it. Esme picked out a book to read to her for a distraction, and I got up from the couch so she could sit there and be a little more comfortable. Once she was settled, I regretfully placed Jasper in her lap alongside his sister. I hated having to let him go, but it was time for me to find Peter.

"Peter's already in his office," Charlotte said quietly as she came to sit beside Esme for story time. "He said for you to meet him down there."

I nodded and turned my attention to Esme. I could tell she was nervous, and I couldn't deny that I was, too. I leaned down to kiss her head, trying to keep a safe distance from Rosalie, but still getting close enough to comfort my wife.

"Everything will be all right," I whispered in her ear.

She nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out in a shudder. I pulled back so I could look at her, and smiled when I saw that her anxiety was starting to turn into determination.

"It has to work out, Carlisle," she said forcefully. "It has to or else I can't be accountable for my actions."

I smiled as the fierce mama bear came out, and I wanted to do everything in my power to keep her from having to do anything she would have to be accountable for.

Charlotte reached over and grabbed Esme's hand, holding it tightly in hers. "We'll be here praying. You go and do what you need to. But I'm sure you and Peter can win over any female social worker. We have such charming men, don't we?" She bumped Esme's shoulder which brought a smile to her face as she agreed.

I mouthed a 'thank you' to Charlotte, but she simply shrugged. I knew Esme would be fine with her best friend's support, so after a final kiss, I quickly headed downstairs.

When I made it to Peter's office, I glanced at my watch one more time. I was five minutes early, but I still knocked on the door. I only had to wait a couple of seconds before Peter opened the door. The first thing I noticed was his wide smile, and I had no idea what the cause of it was.

"Is everything okay?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing what was going on.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Umm yeah. I think everything is okay. Actually, more than okay would be a better description."

I was confused, and I raised one of my eyebrows, hoping he would offer a better explanation or at least let me into his office.

"You should probably see for yourself," he said as he finally stepped aside.

As I stepped into his office, I saw that there was already a woman sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. I almost froze in place, but then she turned around. The look on her face matched the confusion of mine, confusion which was quickly escalating.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cope. What brings you here?" I asked as I stepped forward to shake her hand.

She stood up and shook my hand with a small smile that still showed her confusion. "Good morning, Dr. Cullen. I came to speak with Dr. Reaves about a case I was just assigned, but I didn't expect to see you here."

"A case you were assigned?" I asked, mostly to myself. Peter had closed the door and was standing by his desk, and I looked over at him. He was still smiling, but gave me a pointed look.

I knew I was missing something. Mrs. Cope was here to talk with Peter about a case. What other case was Peter handling other than Rosalie and Jasper's? Realization suddenly hit me, and I immediately began laughing. Mrs. Cope stared at me like I was crazy, but I couldn't stop. For some reason, I couldn't establish the connection at first. Of course Mrs. Cope was a social worker, but she couldn't have been the only one in Seattle. Our prayers had once again been answered in a way that was almost too good to be true.

I couldn't resist pulling Mrs. Cope into a hug once my laughter had subsided. She seemed even more confused, but tentatively returned my hug. Once I released her, I sat down in the chair beside hers, and finally relaxed. We now had the best chance possible for this to work out.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Cope said. She slowly sat down while looking between me and Peter. "I'm not sure I understand what's going on."

"God has smiled on us," I said as my only explanation, and Peter nodded as he also sat down.

"I promise to explain when you're finished," Peter said. "I invited Dr. Cullen to listen as well, if that's all right. He has some knowledge of this case and will probably be able to help."

"That's fine with me," she said slowly as she realized that she wasn't going to get any more from us until she spoke first. She pulled out her case file and put her glasses on before beginning.

"I'm sorry it took so long for a meeting to be scheduled. There are so many cases that come through, and this one was finally put on the top of the stack yesterday. I'm usually a family case worker instead of a child case worker, but I took it after reading through and finding it was such a special case."

"This is a special case," Peter agreed. "But the wait can be overlooked, especially with you as the social worker." I nodded in agreement, and Mrs. Cope seemed at bit embarrassed by our praise.

"Well, thank you, but I guess you might want to find out more about this case, and I'm here to tell you everything I know."

She opened up her file and scanned the page before beginning.

"Okay, so I have here Rosalie Lillian Hale and Jasper William Hale, fraternal twins born March 10th, 25 months old. Mother was Lily Hale, no father listed on the birth certificate. Dr. Reaves, I'm assuming you have all medical information on file since you have been their primary care provider since birth?"

Peter nodded, and she continued.

"I spoke to the police and most of this is from their report, and the investigation is complete as far as I know. On the night of April 4th, a Mr. Royce King II broke into Ms. Hale's home to purposely murder her. He and his accomplice, a Miss Maria Garcia, then took the children from their home to an abandoned house a few miles away. They were held from Wednesday night until early Saturday morning when the police found them. I have here your accounts from the emergency room of the injuries they suffered, but I'm sure none of us want to relive that."

She glanced up from the file to look at Peter, and he shook his head. It was already painful enough to hear even the most basic details about what happened. I didn't even want to think about the harm that came to those precious babies. They had suffered so much, all because their mother had made bad decisions in her life, and it was something they most definitely did not deserve.

"The police have Mr. King and Ms. Garcia in custody," she continued. "They have not confessed to anything, but there is solid evidence against them to make this a closed case. King is being charged with first degree murder and kidnapping as well as sexual assault of a minor. Ms. Garcia is being charged with accessory to murder and kidnapping, as well as assault of a minor. In short, there is no way these two will escape jail time. They might plead out for a lower charge, but nothing will get them off completely. The children will not have to be involved in any of the trial proceedings, so basically, they are free of this, legally anyway."

I fought the urge to snort. Rosalie and Jasper were definitely not free of what those monsters did to them and probably wouldn't be for quite a while, if ever. The one bright side was that they wouldn't have to go through a trail, not that they could anyway because of their age.

"So now we're left with finding somewhere for the children to go. The police have searched all week for family, and haven't found any. No one has or will come forward to take them, so as of right now, they will be put into foster care. This is another hurdle, though, because from what I understand, there are some limitations. Would you care to elaborate?"

She looked to Peter, and he nodded and took a deep breath before beginning his explanation.

"I think it's obvious that they need to stay together. Siblings, especially twins, have a close bond, and Rosalie and Jasper are no exception. Also, there are other issues stemming from the trauma they suffered. Jasper does not speak, well not often anyway," he said while smirking at me. I smiled back, knowing that he was a bit jealous that he didn't get to hear Jasper speak while we were playing yesterday.

"He is also afraid of new people," he continued. "It's not uncommon for children their age, but the fear has been greatly increased. Rosalie is an even more special case. She is also afraid of any new people, more so than Jasper. Men are not allowed near her with a couple of exceptions. Any unwanted contact almost guarantees a panic attack. All of these issues need to be handed with great care if there is any hope for a full recovery."

Mrs. Cope sighed and smiled sadly. "I guess I have my work cut out for me."

"Actually, I think this is where I come in," I interrupted, speaking for the first time.

She took her glasses off, and stared at me in surprise. "You, Dr. Cullen? May I ask what you can do to help?"

"Well, Peter…Dr. Reaves brought this case to my attention on Tuesday. He filled me in on some of the basics of the case and then took me to meet the children. He and his wife, Charlotte, had been spending most of their time with them because they are very frightened of the hospital environment in general. I was able to spend some time with Jasper on Tuesday before going home that afternoon to tell my wife about the children. Needless to say, she wanted to meet them as well and fell in love with them immediately, just as I had."

I paused and took a deep breath, watching as recognition flooded her smile.

"Go on," Mrs. Cope encouraged softly.

I smiled and nodded while trying to rein my excitement in. "We've been spending the last couple of days here with Rosalie and Jasper. And I know this is not the way things are normally done, but I'm pretty sure most of the things Esme and I have done have been a little unorthodox. Long story short, we want the children. We had already started the process of adoption from foster care a couple of months ago, and we are finished accept for the home study.

"We know all about the situation with Rosalie and Jasper and are prepared to meet all of their special needs. Esme and I already have such a strong bond with them, and honestly, I think it will hurt all of us at this point if they are sent somewhere else. Having to get used to being with another family will set back their healing even more, and I don't want them to have to go through that no matter how selfish our other motives might be.

"We've prayed so long for this. We want them, and they want us, so please Mrs. Cope. Please consider this." I finished in one breath and waited nervously to find out what she would say.

Her reaction was not one I was expecting, and looked over at Peter as the woman beside me started laughing as I had earlier. He shrugged, and I guessed this was how she felt when I had done the same thing. I had no idea what was so funny, and I dared to hope that laughter was a good sign.

The laughter didn't last long, and her warm smile when she was finished gave me an even bigger reason to hope.

"I'm sorry about that, Dr. Cullen," she said. "You just caught me off guard. I've honestly never had anyone do my job for me, but I can't say that this is a bad thing."

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

She nodded. "Really. You already started the process to adopt again so it's clear that you have thought about it and are not taking this situation lightly. There will still be plenty of paperwork to fill out, but the basics have already been started. Do you already have a case worker assigned for your home study?"

I shook my head dumbly, amazed that she was already talking like it was a done deal.

"That's fine," she said, looking back at her file as she began writing. "Normally a family case worker and a child case worker would handle the case together, but I suppose I can function as both. I'll have to find away to work around the home study, maybe have it after the kids are with you. I know you have one on file from over a year ago, and that should be enough to go by for temporary purposes…"

"Wait," I interrupted, finally getting my head on straight. "What are you saying? Do you mean that it's possible for us to take Rosalie and Jasper with us?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Dr. Cullen, you and your wife are two of the most genuine people I've ever spent any time with. I saw the love you had for your son during those two afternoons a spent at your home. That same love is shown when you speak of Rosalie and Jasper. I honestly couldn't have handpicked a better family for them, and you just saved me a whole lot of work."

I had never wanted to kiss a woman who wasn't Esme before in my entire life, but I could have kissed Mrs. Cope. I felt like crying tears of relief, but I held them in. I wanted to share my relief with Esme so the tears could wait until later.

"Dr. Reaves, when will they be released?" she asked as she turned her attention to Peter.

"As soon as possible," he answered while also smiling happily. "The only reason they are here now is because I didn't want to discharge them until I knew they had somewhere definite to go. Jasper is no longer hooked up to anything, and Rosalie is only hooked up to antibiotics. She'll be sent home with some oral ones, but other than that, they are free and clear to go."

"Are you and you wife prepared to take them now?" she asked me suddenly.

"Yes!" I said immediately, but then remembered that we didn't have any rooms prepared for them yet. "Well, we can be in a few hours," I amended.

"Good," she nodded. "While you work everything out on your side, I need to get busy on this paper work. Do you still have an adoption lawyer?"

"Yes. Mary Randall. If you contact her now, she should be with our family lawyer, Liam Murray. We tried to prepare as much as possible," I said sheepishly.

"You really want this," she said in awe, and I nodded.

"With all of my heart," I said sincerely. "But now, I can't believe that this is happening so quickly and without much of a fight. Esme is going to be so surprised."

"There's still work to be done, but I don't think there will be much of a fight. Most of it will be from my side, and I will be working closely with you lawyers. I'll contact them as soon as I leave here, and hopefully I'll have everything ready for you by the afternoon. But for now, I'd like to meet the kids. Can we go up and see them?"

"Of course," Peter said as he stood up from his desk. "Our wives are up there now waiting for word on the outcome of this meeting, and I'm sure they would appreciate to know as soon as possible."

"Let's not keep them waiting then," Mrs. Cope chuckled as she stood up as well.

Once I was standing as well, I couldn't resist pulling her in for another hug.

"Thank you," I whispered. "You have no idea what this means to us."

"I think it's pretty clear," she said and stepped back from me. "But Dr. Cullen, I meant what I said about you and your wife. Any of the kids in foster care now would be incredibly blessed to be in your family. There are other families wanting to adopt, but honestly, I think Rosalie and Jasper have the best chance at a full recovery with you. I could draw this process out and go through all the formal procedures, but why keep you waiting? There's no way I could find a family better than yours, and I don't see any reason to prevent them from beginning to heal as soon as possible. Now, let's go tell your wife the good news."

There was nothing else to say as we walked out into the hallway. Peter locked the door behind us and then patted me on the back before leading us up stairs.

I almost couldn't grasp what had happened. In a very short meeting, all of our prayers were answered. Rosalie and Jasper were going to come home with us, and we weren't even going to have to fight for them. I knew Esme and I were both willing to do anything, but in reality, it wasn't necessary.

As we walked down the hallway, each step bringing me closer to the new part of my family, I had to fight the urge to run toward them. I couldn't wait for Esme to find out what was happening. We had received confirmation that we were doing exactly what we were supposed to be, and I couldn't have been more thankful.

A/N: I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates. I'm not sure if the holiday will affect my updating, but the next chapter might be delayed until next Sunday or possibly even Monday.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to let me know what you think! :)