"Where is he?!"
"I told you, I left him. In this little town, hours from here."
"You're lying!"
"No, please, Ron," Sherry sobbed. "It's true. He's gone."
He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. "For his sake, you better be telling the truth."
He shoved her out the door in front of him. "Take me to him, now."
~~~
"I love this kid," Chloe said matter-of-factly, sitting on Clark's bed the next morning, with Alex leaning against her.
She didn't bother to tear her eyes away from Clark as she said it.
"Yeah, he's pretty great, huh?"
"I'd keep him if I could." She was still looking directly at Clark.
He looked up. "Maybe you can."
"Well--I--ah..." She was overwhelmed for a second before she registered that Clark was in fact talking about Alex even if she wasn't. "I don't think so. Nobody's ever around at my house, and...we should really try to find his family."
"What if he doesn't have one?"
His words caught her off-guard. She paused for a second, then nodded once decidedly.
"Then we'll have to give him one," she said, still looking right in his eyes.
He nodded, seeming to accept this.
Alex's eyes popped open suddenly. "Hi!"
"Hi," they said back to him in unison.
"Hi!"
He struggled to sit up straighter, and reached for Chloe's hand. She helped him up, then he grabbed Clark's hand as well.
"Is he doing it again?"
"I think."
Their hands came together. "Love."
"No, I think you're mistaken this time, Alex," Chloe said, moving her hand away.
Alex looked at both of them and sighed, frustrated. Then he smiled again and took only Chloe's hand, holding it towards Clark. "Love." Then he looked at Clark expectantly.
Clark reached over and ruffled the little boy's curly blond hair affectionately. Alex reached up and took Clark's hand and put it back to Chloe's. "Love!" he said again, more insistently.
Clark started to shake his head, until Chloe caught his eye. "No," he said softly.
Yet neither of them thought to move their hands this time.
"What say we get something to eat?"
"Sounds good to me."
Chloe smiled as she noted that Clark still didn't bother to drop her hand as they gathered Alex and headed downstairs.
~~~
"Where is it?" Ron demanded.
"This is it," Sherry said softly. "But he might not be here. Someone could've-"
"Shut the hell up!" He raised his hand to strike her, then quickly lowered it and smiled politely at an elderly couple walking by.
"Come on." He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the coffeehouse.
~~~
"Seriously, Clark, it would do you good to invest in a camera with a zoom lens," Chloe said playfully as they neared the Talon.
Clark hurriedly went to hold the door open for Chloe to push Alex's wheelchair through.
"Always the gentleman, Clark. You give chivalry new meaning."
He smiled as they took a booth near the front. "I'd say it's in the genes, but...I really don't know that." At this, his smile faded.
She forced a weak smile as guilt washed over her. *That goddamn adoption record is polluting my beloved iMac as we speak.*
"Hey, Clark. Chloe."
"Oh, hey Lana." Chloe waved her hand dismissively and pretended to focus on Alex as Clark went from Kent charm mode to "let's-all-drool-over-Lana" mode-or surrogate boyfriend mode, depending on Lana's response-in 2.5 seconds flat.
Lana glanced away from them for a moment.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
"What?"
"That's her. The woman who brought Alex," she said, sitting down next to Clark.
"You're sure?" Chloe leaned forward eagerly.
"Definitely. That's her."
~~~
"Why are those kids staring at us?"
"What kids? Where?"
"Over there," Ron said, pointing. "I can barely see them, I don't have my glasses. But they're definitely staring at us."
Sherry nodded, shifting her gaze a little to the left of where he was pointing. "I saw them here yesterday. That girl was my waitress. Her name is..." She paused, took a breath for effect. "Crystal. Crystal Harding."
"Which one?"
She paused again and considered the situation. Ron could hardly see a thing. He had no idea what she was...well...
"The blonde," she told him. "Yes, the blonde. The blonde girl was my waitress, and her name is Crystal Harding."
"I see."
*No you don't.* She stifled a laugh.
"Why do you not wear your glasses anymore, dear?"
"I forgot them last night, we were in such a rush."
"Oh."
She looked over at the 3 teens again-and realized they had Alex with them.
*Well, at least now I know why they're staring.*
"Um, Ron, Alex isn't here. Maybe we should just--"
"I'm not leaving without that boy," he growled. "Let's see if this waitress of yours knows anything."
As Ron led her over to them, she prayed he couldn't see the fear reflected in her eyes.
"I told you, I left him. In this little town, hours from here."
"You're lying!"
"No, please, Ron," Sherry sobbed. "It's true. He's gone."
He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. "For his sake, you better be telling the truth."
He shoved her out the door in front of him. "Take me to him, now."
~~~
"I love this kid," Chloe said matter-of-factly, sitting on Clark's bed the next morning, with Alex leaning against her.
She didn't bother to tear her eyes away from Clark as she said it.
"Yeah, he's pretty great, huh?"
"I'd keep him if I could." She was still looking directly at Clark.
He looked up. "Maybe you can."
"Well--I--ah..." She was overwhelmed for a second before she registered that Clark was in fact talking about Alex even if she wasn't. "I don't think so. Nobody's ever around at my house, and...we should really try to find his family."
"What if he doesn't have one?"
His words caught her off-guard. She paused for a second, then nodded once decidedly.
"Then we'll have to give him one," she said, still looking right in his eyes.
He nodded, seeming to accept this.
Alex's eyes popped open suddenly. "Hi!"
"Hi," they said back to him in unison.
"Hi!"
He struggled to sit up straighter, and reached for Chloe's hand. She helped him up, then he grabbed Clark's hand as well.
"Is he doing it again?"
"I think."
Their hands came together. "Love."
"No, I think you're mistaken this time, Alex," Chloe said, moving her hand away.
Alex looked at both of them and sighed, frustrated. Then he smiled again and took only Chloe's hand, holding it towards Clark. "Love." Then he looked at Clark expectantly.
Clark reached over and ruffled the little boy's curly blond hair affectionately. Alex reached up and took Clark's hand and put it back to Chloe's. "Love!" he said again, more insistently.
Clark started to shake his head, until Chloe caught his eye. "No," he said softly.
Yet neither of them thought to move their hands this time.
"What say we get something to eat?"
"Sounds good to me."
Chloe smiled as she noted that Clark still didn't bother to drop her hand as they gathered Alex and headed downstairs.
~~~
"Where is it?" Ron demanded.
"This is it," Sherry said softly. "But he might not be here. Someone could've-"
"Shut the hell up!" He raised his hand to strike her, then quickly lowered it and smiled politely at an elderly couple walking by.
"Come on." He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the coffeehouse.
~~~
"Seriously, Clark, it would do you good to invest in a camera with a zoom lens," Chloe said playfully as they neared the Talon.
Clark hurriedly went to hold the door open for Chloe to push Alex's wheelchair through.
"Always the gentleman, Clark. You give chivalry new meaning."
He smiled as they took a booth near the front. "I'd say it's in the genes, but...I really don't know that." At this, his smile faded.
She forced a weak smile as guilt washed over her. *That goddamn adoption record is polluting my beloved iMac as we speak.*
"Hey, Clark. Chloe."
"Oh, hey Lana." Chloe waved her hand dismissively and pretended to focus on Alex as Clark went from Kent charm mode to "let's-all-drool-over-Lana" mode-or surrogate boyfriend mode, depending on Lana's response-in 2.5 seconds flat.
Lana glanced away from them for a moment.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
"What?"
"That's her. The woman who brought Alex," she said, sitting down next to Clark.
"You're sure?" Chloe leaned forward eagerly.
"Definitely. That's her."
~~~
"Why are those kids staring at us?"
"What kids? Where?"
"Over there," Ron said, pointing. "I can barely see them, I don't have my glasses. But they're definitely staring at us."
Sherry nodded, shifting her gaze a little to the left of where he was pointing. "I saw them here yesterday. That girl was my waitress. Her name is..." She paused, took a breath for effect. "Crystal. Crystal Harding."
"Which one?"
She paused again and considered the situation. Ron could hardly see a thing. He had no idea what she was...well...
"The blonde," she told him. "Yes, the blonde. The blonde girl was my waitress, and her name is Crystal Harding."
"I see."
*No you don't.* She stifled a laugh.
"Why do you not wear your glasses anymore, dear?"
"I forgot them last night, we were in such a rush."
"Oh."
She looked over at the 3 teens again-and realized they had Alex with them.
*Well, at least now I know why they're staring.*
"Um, Ron, Alex isn't here. Maybe we should just--"
"I'm not leaving without that boy," he growled. "Let's see if this waitress of yours knows anything."
As Ron led her over to them, she prayed he couldn't see the fear reflected in her eyes.