This was part of a request from Just Your Average Writer Here. I would like to thank them so much for their idea! This was a lot of fun to write. I hope it kinda tugs at your heartstrings a little. Sorry if it gets depressing, but I had to move it along. Can't wait to hear what you all have to think! Suggestions or ideas for more stories are welcome as always! :)

Simon Louis walked home from choir practice rather slowly that Thursday afternoon. Something was bothering him in the back of his mind; it had gripped him in its talons and refused to let him free. He climbed the steps to his home and opened the door. He walked inside the nice big house. Simon set his schoolbag on the dining room chair and hung his robe and hat upon the coat stand. Footsteps came down the stairs. "There's my sweetie!" his mother called, holding a laundry basket against her hip. She dropped the linens and pulled him into a hug. As always, she lifted him into the air and spun him around, kissing his cheek. Simon giggled a little. He tried to smile. His mother picked up on his feelings of uneasiness. "Is everything alright, sweetie?" she asked. He nodded, trying to grin cheerfully. Mrs. Louis could see through the mask. "What happened today? Are the kids making fun of you again?"

"No, they're fine, Mummy. It's just been sort of a strange day." he replied. His mother took his little hand and with her free one pushed on his back gently as they made their way to the sofa. He hopped up onto the cushions and snuggled close to his mother once she took a seat. "Deary, what's the matter? You never come home like this." she cooed. Simon sighed. "My friend told me something today that just scared me a little."

"…And….what was it?"

"Well, what I mean is…it made me scared for them personally."

"Was it Lucy?"

"No. It was a boy in choir."

"Oh, I see. And you're afraid for him?"

"Yes. He said that things at home are getting bad. He wants to leave it all. But…then he said the thing that scared me."

"What did he say next?"

Simon's eyes filled with tears as he thought about the terror in the images that came to mind when his friend had brought up the subject. He buried his face into his mother's chest. She gave him a loving hug and told him that it was alright. Simon sniffled and looked up. "He said…that it would be better if he died and that he wants to kill himself to get away from it." he said tearfully. Simon's mother froze looking at her son. A twelve-year-old boy is saying all this, she thought. She could understand why Simon was so upset. He wiped his eyes. "Then he told me all…all the ways he could do it. He said he had some rope in the back of the house that he could tie into a noose and hang himself with. Or he said he could take a knife up into his room and stab himself. Or he said he'd take a lot of medicine all at once so his body would just shut down. Or he wanted to climb onto the roof and jump off so he'd smash all his bones and die there." Simon was sobbing again by the time he'd finished with his list. Mrs. Louis wrapped her arms around him and rocked him gently. She held him on her lap. "Oh baby, it's alright. He won't do-"

"But he would! I know he would! He's so sad all the time and he doesn't talk to anyone except me and occasionally Jack, but he doesn't tell Jack half the things he tells me because Jack is too busy a lot of the time since he's head-boy and older than us. He'd do it, Mummy. And I'm afraid he's going to do it someday and not tell anyone! Then for days he'll be absent and nobody will know why and then it'll come out that they found his bones somewhere and I won't have the chance to stop him!"

Simon didn't know why he was crying so hard, but he was. His mother let him cry for a while, just rocking and hushing him gently. He clearly needed to get these feelings out. After a long while of sniffling, she whispered, "Who is the boy you're afraid for?" Simon rubbed his eyes and smoothed out her tearstained sleeve. "Roger," he whimpered. "He told me all this at choir practice today. I didn't know who to report it to-Jack was the only supervisor left on campus, and I knew he wouldn't do much about it. Mummy…"

Mrs. Louis nodded slowly. She kissed the top of his head. "You did the right thing, sweetie." she whispered. A few more minutes of silence passed. She knew she was going to talk about this with her husband once he got home from work, but something had to pacify Simon for the time being. She rubbed her son's small shoulders. "How would you like to use the telephone to call him? And you could invite him for a playdate tomorrow afternoon after choir practice. That way you'd be giving him something to look forward to and he'll be happier. Does that sound alright?" she came up with. Simon nodded. He dried his eyes with the handkerchief she pulled out of her pocket and took a few deep breaths to calm down.

His mother went to the phone and got the operator to connect them to Roger's home telephone. It rang several times before a small voice answered. She handed the phone to Simon. "Hi, Roger." Simon said.

"Hi,"

"It's Simon,"

"Oh,"

"I was just wondering if you were ok,"

"I am,"

"Hey, would you like to come home with me after practice tomorrow? We could have a playdate. That's what Mummy called it. It would be a lot of fun."

There seemed to be some fuzzing coming from the other end of the phone, which could possible have indicated movement, and then there came a sigh. "Yes," Roger said. "I would like that a lot." Simon smiled. "That's great. I can't wait then. Make sure you're there tomorrow. I mean, be sure to look forward to it. We'll have a good time,"

"Alright,"

"So I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?"

"Yes,"

"Do you promise?"

"Yes,"

"Don't break a promise on me, Roger."

"I won't,"

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow,"

"Goodbye,"

"Bye,"

Simon hung up the phone. He looked up at his mother, who was smiling sadly. "He promised he'd be at school tomorrow. I made him tell me that he wouldn't break his promise." Simon summarized. She nodded and pulled him into another hug. He gently rubbed his small hands on her swelling stomach to appease himself. Simon let out a sigh of relief. At least he'd given his friend something to look forward to. At least he had that promise that everything would be normal for at least one more day.

Later that night, Mr. and Mrs. Louis were tucking him into bed together as they always did. Mrs. Louis snuggled Simon's favorite stuffed bear close to his face and made a kissing sound. The boy giggled and hugged it. His father pulled the blankets close to his neck. "We love you, Simon." he whispered. Each parent then kissed him, one on each side, simultaneously. He yawned sleepily. "I love you both so much. Goodnight Mummy. Goodnight Daddy." he said. He bent forward and kissed his mother's stomach. "Goodnight little baby I'll be meeting very soon." He whispered this as if it was some sort of personal prayer. The man and the woman joined hands and stepped quietly out of the room as their son fell asleep. Mr. Louis shut the door quietly behind them.

When it was time for the two of them to go to bed, they climbed in beside each other and huddled close. "Simon's got a friend coming over tomorrow afternoon." Mrs. Louis said. "Is that so? A friend from choir?" Mr. Louis asked.

"Yes; the one we bought the cookies for."
"The sad one,"
"…Yes. Actually…Simon came home very upset today because of this boy."
"He isn't bothering him, is he?"
"Oh not at all. But apparently the kid said he wanted to kill himself and made a list of all the ways he could do it. Simon got very scared and actually had to call him on the telephone to make sure he was alright."
"The boy said he wanted to kill himself?"
"Because 'home' was so bad."

Simon's father thought for a moment or two. "We'll watch him when he comes over tomorrow. I'd hate to send such a sweet boy back to a terrible place." he said. The woman agreed. The two kissed each other and bid goodnight.

The next day, Simon and Roger came home after practice. They seemed to be having a good time-Roger began to open up a little more after a while. Mrs. Louis watched them play out in the backyard from the kitchen window. Roger had a nervous tic. That was clear. There were some signs of physical abuse on him-the bruises; several baby teeth missing prematurely, causing scabs on the gums; the overgrown dark hair; the thinness of his frame. If there was a loud sound of sudden movement, he'd flinch badly. Sometimes he'd look around nervously for no reason. But he seemed very happy around Simon.

Simon's mother called the boys in from playing outside to eat dinner. She hadn't asked Roger if he was going to stay for dinner, because she knew that if he went home before, he probably wouldn't eat anything until school lunch on Monday. Simon's father walked in the door as she set the food on the table. "Just in time!" he laughed, kissing his wife as a greeting. Roger was watching intently, as if this were new to him. Mr. Louis reached down and took the boy's hand, shaking it gently. "I remember you from the bake sale," he said gently. Roger had panic in his eyes. He watched as the man let go of his hand and pat his head very softly. The family sat down at the table and bowed their heads to pray.

Mrs. Louis looked up when she saw one of the chairs wasn't occupied. Roger was standing in a corner, watching the family from a distance. "Come here, Roger." she coaxed gently. "You can come eat with us,"

"I shouldn't," he replied quickly.

"Why not, sweetie?"

"It's your food. Not mine. I'm a guest. I'm bad."

The last line shocked her a little.

She stood up and led him over to the table, making sure he was seated with food in front of him. After they said their blessing, they began to eat. Roger took very small bites. He seemed to be afraid to just eat like normal. The mother and father glanced at each other throughout the meal.

When it came to be late, Simon approached his parents. "May Roger stay the night?" he asked. "He said he's sure his father wouldn't mind. Would you mind at all?"
"No, deary. I think that's wonderful." his mother replied. Simon took Roger upstairs to his room and the two began making a small bed on the floor. Mr. Louis went over to the pregnant woman with papers in his hand. "I went to the city board today, asking if there was something they could do about suspected child abuse." He handed her the papers. "They suggested…that we foster him for a little bit." Simon's mother gasped a little. She didn't quite understand. "But…what will we say to his father-"

"They said that if we present him with these papers and tell him that we're protecting his son from self-harm and potential asylum incarceration, we can take him in. Legally."

"We…we should talk to the boys about this first. I'm all for the idea. But Roger…Roger's the one that's going to be most affected."

"That's a good idea,"

At bedtime they sat both boys on the same bed together, and they themselves sat across from them. Mrs. Louis explained the whole operation, with legality help from Mr. Louis. Simon was in love with the idea. He gripped Roger's arm and whispered, "We'll be like brothers for a little while!" Roger looked very confused and very scared. "Father…" he whispered. The man took his hand. "He'll…be very angry…" Roger continued. Both parents shook their heads. "We have something we will tell him that's going to make him less upset." the woman explained lightly. "It's up to you, son." Mr. Louis said. "You're the one that gets the most affected. And if you…if you want to say…no…then that's alright, I suppose." He regretted saying the last part. He didn't want Roger to choose going back to that place. Roger was very silent for a long time. The mother reached over and touched his shoulder. "We know what you planned on doing. We know how badly you wanted to get out." she confessed. He froze. His eyes squeezed shut and he nodded. "Please…" he whispered. "Don't make me…go back…"

And that was that. The next morning, Mr. Louis went by the city board again to certify the fostering papers, and then went across town to the boy's house. He told the half-drunken man the details, and that their family was saving him the money and trouble of Roger getting locked up in a mental institution. The man surprisingly agreed to let the kid go. It angered Simon's father when the drunkard slurred, "I never liked the kid anyway. He's your problem now." He gathered Roger's clothes and important items and put them in his car, thanking the rude man half-heartedly. The only thing that prevented him from losing him temper on the poor excuse of a man was the fact that he knew Roger was going to be safe from then on.

Once he returned home, Simon and Roger were waiting on the steps. Roger approached Mr. Louis timidly, asking with his eyes what his father had said. Mr. Louis patted his head gently. "He allowed you to stay here," he said in short, figuring the boy already knew how much he wasn't loved there. Roger breathed a sigh of relief. He helped bring his items into the house and put them in a corner of Simon's neat room. Simon was almost bursting. "This is going to be great! It's like a playdate, but extended!" he giggled. Roger gave a half-smile. "I can't…thank you enough." he whispered. Simon's smile faded. He took his friend's hands. "You don't have to thank us. Ever. We're doing this for you because we want to-because we care about you. We…" He let his voice trail off there, because Roger had tears in his eyes. He looked at the ground. "Y-You told them…" he breathed.

"Told them about what?"

"H-How…I wanted to commit suicide…"

"…I was so scared for you, Roger."

"Honestly, I…was going to do it that very night. And then…you…called…"

Roger broke down, letting the tears fall from his eyes. He didn't sob or make any noise actually. Just let the tears wash down his face. Simon hugged him. "We love you," he whispered.

The two parents were standing in the doorway, unnoticed by the boys, holding hands. Mrs. Louis looked up at her husband. They exchanged a smile, knowing they'd truly done the right thing.