A/N: hello lovely readers! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and this one as well. I thought you should all know how happy it makes me that you guys are so conflicted with this whole Simon drama because I WAS TOO. Simon wasn't originally that much of a player in the story until I realized if I was going to get to a certain plot point I'd planned, I would need a process for it to make sense with Faith's set character. (ooo the anticipation is killing you I know) ;). Anyways, Hope you're enjoying. Things are going to HAPPEN in the next few chapters. like...HAPPEN HAPPEN. So get pumped. K love you all. Thank you again. Go ahead and make my day by leaving a review :)

ISFNE Chapter 26

Grams POV

Allison was sick the next few days and had to miss her shifts. I found it telling that Simon had called just as I found out and after telling him my predicament had gladly picked up Allison's shifts and said he didn't remember why he'd called when I brought it back to ask. I was almost positive he was going to pass off the shifts he shared with Allison somehow, but I had no proof, Allison did seem sick, Simon could forget things, it could all be coincidence. I tried to dig when I worked with Simon but he wouldn't give me much but was not outright enough as to deny answering a question. It was altogether incredibly frustrating. They'd been getting along, they'd been enjoying each other's company, they'd looked so cute together. So what could have gone wrong? I let it lie though, I knew I'd interfered enough.

Allison POV

It'd been surprisingly easy to put off a confrontation with Simon, in fact, he seemed about as keen on it as I did. It worked for two weeks straight, I didn't see Simon at all, though he still stopped by the bookstore. We somehow continued to avoid each other for a month before we began enduring the most awkward shifts together. I distracted myself by throwing every attention on the twins.

They were growing like weeds. Ellie's hair had turned lighter and was looking very much like my natural color. She would likely grow to be my spitting image except for her eyes. Her eyes were a piercing green, very clearly Eric's. Solomon, on the other hand, contrasted Ellie in a way that was uncanny. Though he was the younger of the two he was the leader; Ellie took her cues from him. He had inherited his father's black hair and and though he looked very much like Eric, it was softened by his eyes; violet just like mine. They were getting more mobile by the day which gave me plenty to be distracted by. And though Simon was still willing to help with them, our conversations were always stinted and usually quite hasty. I couldn't very well do without his help though, Ellie and Solomon were too much to handle alone.

The bells on the door jingled as it opened and I looked up from playing with Solomon and Ellie to see Mr. Davenport coming in the door.

"Hey! It's been so long since I last saw you here! We finally replenished our poetry section so I'm sure you'll enjoy perusing that," I called out, standing up with Solomon on my hip.

"Allison! You look well. As does Solomon here," he said, a smile gracing his pale complexion. Mr. Davenport had been somewhat of a regular a month or so ago, always coming in to look over our selection. He was a mild-mannered and polite sort, maybe in his sixties or seventies, not too tall, and well-dressed no matter the day. His clothes, though always impeccable, were quite old-fashioned, but he was sweet and I'd chatted with him often about older classics. He was familiar with all sorts of books and made for great conversation, seeming to have read any and every classic I could think of.

"I've missed our chats! Where've you been?" I asked leaving Solomon in the playpen with his sister as I walked around the counter to greet him properly.

"Traveling," he said with a smile. "And you definitely have my attention with the promise of poetry," he said with a wink.

I heard a giggle, much nearer than it should have been and looked down by my feet to see Solomon sitting there looking at me with a smile.

"How did you get here, mister?" I asked, partially kidding, partially in disbelief. "I thought I left you in the playpen." I leaned down to pick him up and put him on my hip, "I swear I'm losing my marbles with these two," I joked to Davenport. He was giving Solomon a strange look that disappeared almost before I could recognize it as such.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you must be tired with the two of them so mobile now," he said smiling back at me.

"Am I ever," I agreed, "Well, don't let me keep you!" I said, walking back behind the counter with Solomon and placing him back in his playpen and closing the gate, wondering if I'd only imagined putting him there the first time.

Simon POV

I came in to relieve Allison of her shift behind the counter so she could go eat before starting her shift with me, as always. It was an hour I had alone with the twins a few days a week and I usually found myself enjoying it. They were usually up from their nap and only wanted to explore. I'd sit with them and play a little in the open area of the bookstore since it was slow, letting them crawl around. Though the past few weeks had been strained to say the least, I still enjoyed my time with the twins and was grateful Alice hadn't decided to block me from them, though honestly it was probably because she had no other options besides Grams for help with them. She'd still been avoiding me surprisingly well, though to be fair, I was avoiding her too; which is why it was so surprising when she approached me as I arrived.

"I just thought I should let you know I think something is wrong with the playpen latch. Solomon got out earlier when my back was turned," she warned not meeting my eyes and also not waiting for a response as she went upstairs to make herself lunch.

I shrugged off the warning, said hello to Mr. Davenport who was at the poetry section and went over to the playpen. Ellie started babbling excitedly as I walked over so I, of course, said hello and picked her up while her brother didn't pay me much mind, too intent on the giraffe print block in his hands. After a spell, I turned around to put Ellie back in the playpen with her brother only to find Solomon sitting at the bottom of the stairs where Alice had just exited, playing with the shag rug on the ground. I immediately set Ellie down in the playpen and grabbed Solomon. "How did you manage this, Houdini?" I said teasingly, but could feel how my heart had skipped a beat at not seeing Solomon in the pen. Davenport gave Solomon a strange look.

"That's the second time he's done that, today," he said carefully.

"Yeah, we seem to have an escape artist here," I joked somewhat uncomfortably, I could've sworn the gate was closed.

I set Solomon down beside Ellie and then went around to close the latching portion of the the playpen. I carefully closed the playpen latch and then re-hooked it, giving it a small tug to see if it would come open; no dice. I frowned. How the heck had Solomon managed to escape? I must have missed something, maybe I'd left the gate open.

I didn't miss the way Davenport seemed to be studying the twins. "Is something wrong, Mr. Davenport?" I questioned, hoping to turn away his attention from the incident.

He looked up at me and seemed to be shaken out of a trance, "Oh, so sorry, no, I'm quite alright. Thank you. Tell Allison I'll be sure to stop by again soon," he said with a wave as he left. I wasn't going to be telling Allison anything but I nodded all the same and went back to work. The twins stayed put the rest of the time making me wonder if I'd imagined the whole thing.