He stood in the hallway watching as the school buses started to arrive, this was his favorite time of year, a new class, a new year. Everyone always asked him how he does it, a class of kindergartners. His response is always the same. 'They make teaching easy, there is only one thing they want to do at that age, learn' He love's the questions why and how, and lucky for him at this age they are the top asked questions. They are honest as they come, if they don't like something, they tell you, if they love it, they tell you. No matter what it is, they tell you. They love life and they don't have the fears of the world yet. Everything is fascinating and fun. He loves every second of it.

He stood watching kids and parents approach him. The first day the parents spent the first hour in class with the kids to make the transition easier on everybody. He did a few quick head counts, they were still short one. He waited a few more minutes before he walked to the door and started to shut it when he heard a small voice.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Blake?" He spotted the young girl peeking through the door, he crouched down to be eye level with her.

"I am and you are?" he asked.

"Charlotte Griffin Sir" she replied quietly. He was surprised by her politeness. He remembered the name from the sheet. He re-read it a few times when he first got the roster, the name 'Griffin' would be a hard one to forget. The one girl he wished he would have held on to happened to share the last name, it was his biggest regret in life, not a day went by he didn't think of her.

"Well Charlotte, please come in, is your mom or dad here with you?" he asked looking down the hallway.

"I don't have a dad, and Mom went to work already, My Uncle dropped me off " she replied looking up at the teacher,

"That's fine, let's find you a seat" Mr. Blake stated standing and reaching his hand out to her. Once he got her settled he took a spot at the front of the class.

"Good Morning everyone, I'm Mr. Bellamy Blake and I will be your kindergarten teacher for the year. I am super excited to have all of you in my class. We will be doing all kinds of fun things this year, field trips and class outside, arts and crafts, music time, we do sports, and we even have class pets" He stated. He continued his welcoming speech, taking a second every now and then to look over at the only girl without her parents there. This day could be fun, but scary, however she seemed to be holding up just fine. He did a roll call, had the parents introduce themselves before they left and then the day started. They had a few crying, but for the most part it was uneventful, just the way he liked it. He wanted the kids to feel at home and comfortable, not be afraid to stay with him.

...

Clarke Griffin had just moved back to the area with her daughter Charlotte, she moved away when she found out she was pregnant and her boyfriend at the time had cheated on her. From what she heard he got in a car accident a few years later and passed away. It was a nice area and it definitely felt like home, it was where she wanted to raise Charlotte. Clarke's childhood friend Wells lived down the street and she was thankful to have a friend like him. She was barely making rent and had to take a second job on, she did what she had to do to support Charlotte and herself. This morning though, she felt like a failure of a mother, she read that letter four times asking that all parents of kindergartners accompany there child to the school on the first day, she read it a few more to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, and it did indeed list Mr. Bellamy Blake as the teacher. She wasn't going to lie, she wasn't ready to cross paths with Bellamy yet either. Aside from Wells, he was the only one to try and contact her after she left. She let his calls go unanswered. She wasn't ready to come back and she wouldn't have been able to tell him no. She just started this job, she worked at the local coffee shop, not far from the school. Her boss Octavia who happened to be Bellamy's sister, was beyond nice, and was also a childhood friend, she was blessed to find someone who would try and work her schedule to make sure she had time for both jobs and her daughter. Being new to the job, she didn't want to ask for the morning off, she asked Wells to bring Charlotte to school. She cried once when she got her dressed and took her picture, once before they left the house, the whole way to work and now here she stands taking orders for coffee fighting back tears. She was doing what she had to, she knew that, they needed a house to live, clothes on there back and food in their stomachs. She lifted her head, she was doing what she had to and one day her daughter would admire her for being strong and taking care of everything, at least she hoped. She was sure Charlotte was fine, she was a tough kid, they lived in a not so great area before they moved here, and she was exposed to some things she shouldn't have been at her age. Clarke couldn't wait to get out of there, and it seemed like she got out of there just in time. That little town they used to live in was crossing the news frequently of late, and she was happy to be far away.

...

Bellamy sat at his desk filling out some paperwork as the class sat on the carpet listening to one of the senior class students tell a story. Reading time was done by the 12th grade English class and it gave him a forty five minute break. He was watching the students, they all sat together quietly, entranced by the enthusiastic story teller. Everyone but Charlotte, she sat off to the side just staring out the window. He stood from his seat and made his way over to her. He sat down quietly and tapped her on the shoulder, she turned to look at him.

"You like the story?" he asked. She just nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yes, I am just worried about my mom, she cried when I left with my Uncle this morning, I know she didn't want to go to work, she wanted to come with me" she said.

"I'm sure she did , sometimes grown ups need to do things we don't want to" Bellamy smiled at the young girl.

"Mom does a lot of things she doesn't want to" Charlotte replied. Her voice sad almost.

"Is she picking you up today after school?" he asked quietly. She just shrugged. He sighed. 'Great, just great' he thought to himself.

...

The person who was supposed to come in after Clarke called out sick. She jumped at Octavia's offer for more hours, she was two hundred dollars short of making her rent, and she had four days to do it. She quickly texted Wells. He replied letting her know he would gladly pick up Charlotte.

Bellamy's class had all been picked up by their parents with the exception of Charlotte who was still sitting and coloring. He was about to call the office and have them get him a number for Ms. Griffin when a knock sounded on the door.

"Uncle Wells" Charlotte smiled grabbing her bag and heading for him. Bellamy stood shocked that Wells was who she referred to as her uncle.

"Wells, it has been along time" Bellamy smiled shaking his hand.

"It has" he replied.

"You know, Mr. Blake?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, sweetie, Me, Mr. Blake, and Mommy all went to school together" Wells explained.

"Shes, oh my god, Clarke's daughter? " Bellamy asked in confusion.