A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews. I was actually proud of this one.

Alex cleaned up nicely. After a haircut, some new clothes, and a few days in a stable home, he didn't look quite so homeless. Of course, as George knew, one couldn't blame him for that. He had been homeless for a while.

In all honesty, he wasn't a bad kid. Yet, at least, George thought, sipping his morning coffee. Martha was gone, having had to be at work half an hour earlier than George got up. He heard Alex's footsteps coming down the hall before he appeared in the kitchen doorway, pausing as he noticed George's glance in his direction.

"I don't bite, you know," He said, trying to sound lighthearted. He really didn't want this kid to hate him.

Alex came in, a brand new backpack slung over his shoulder, and grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter.

"Leaving quite yet?" George asked after a glimpse at his watch.

"The bus leaves in five minutes," Alex mumbled.

"You know you don't have to take that bus, right? I could bring you to school. I don't go to work until eight anyway."

Alexander considered it. "If you wouldn't mind."

His foster father shrugged. "Have a seat. Relax for a minute; we have time."

The teen sat on the other side of the table, taking a large bite out of his apple.

George put his phone away. "Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm really not upset that you're here."

"My last foster home said I'm a lot to handle. They said they couldn't handle my "trust issues."" Alex tried to keep his voice neutral, but George swore he could hear it breaking a little. The joys of puberty. "And my nightmares. I kept waking them up on accident when I got out of bed."

George was a little speechless. Is that what the last family had honestly meant by "problematic?"

"Well... Martha and I are heavy sleepers." George couldn't really think of anything else to say. He didn't want to pry. "Did you have one last night?"

Alex shook his head. "They're not every night. But they get worse when I'm stressed out."

"I hope we're not stressing you out."

"I've been okay... really," Alex replied.

More awkward silence. This was honestly killing George. He was growing tired of feeling like an outsider in his own home. Like he was the guest.

"If you ever want to talk about anything, just know we're always available. We're here to be there for you."

Alex seemed to be taken aback, but quickly regained his dismissive attitude. He fidgeted in the seat, mumbling, "You're here to house me for a few months."

"I know you had a bad experience with your last foster family, but we aren't like that," George managed to keep himself from snapping. The boy's comment had upset him a little bit, but he could hardly blame Alex for feeling that way. While he didn't have specifics on Alex's past, he knew the kid had seen some stuff.

"Yeah, I guess."

George wasn't even sure the teen was hearing him at that point. Deciding that Alex must be uncomfortable, he tried to change the subject. "So, how is school?" Shit, I'm getting old.

"It's fine," Alex shrugged. "Boring."

"Boring?"

"I just don't really do much outside of classes."

"Have you looked at clubs you could join?" George really hated how old he was sounding. "I mean, I had the same problem in high school until I got more involved and made some friends."

Alex shook his head. "I don't like being around other kids. I'm just that weird kid who sits in a corner reading and doesn't talk to anyone."

George chuckled. "I bet you could find a club made up of the weird kids who sit in corners while reading and don't talk. You guys would probably have to fight over the corners, though. A room only has so many."

The teen gave his foster father a half-hearted simper in response to the lame comment. "Would that be a club, though?"

"Everything could be a club. Hell, my high school had a cake decorating club. Believe me; those were a few of the most awkward and boring meetings I've had to endure."

"You joined it?"

"They called me the Sprinkle King, you know."

"They did not." The boy's smile grew. George normally wasn't one for joking too much, but he was just glad Alex was opening up more.

Desperate to not lose the kid's attention, he jumped back to their earlier topic. "Have you checked out my library? I don't know what you like to read, but you'd probably find something in there."

Alexander's eyes lit up immediately. "You have a library here?"

"Well, we have a room filled with bookshelves which are filled with books... So, I think that makes it a library?"

"Well, where is it?" He asked before the excitement died down in his voice. He added in a calmer tone, "If you don't mind."

"You know where Martha's and my room is? Just go down one more door. You can't miss it."

George watched the teen scamper off down the hallway. He called after him, "Just make it back here in twenty minutes. I'll take you to school!"

George was already waiting with the car keys when Alex reappeared after fifteen minutes, a newly selected book in his hand. He refrained from asking what he had picked, deciding he had racked up enough "lame adult credit" for one morning.

"You ready to take off, then?" He asked.

Alex smiled, really smiled, and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "Yeah, let's go."