"You're serious- No one can take him?"

"No Sir, Sorry Sir."

Dismissing his secretary with a vague wave to the door, Washington turned his attention to the diapered boy on the desk in front of him, is face widening in a smile as the wiped up drool off the over-sized white shirt of Lauren's he was wearing.

"So I guess it's just us today, huh Bud?"

Alex gurgled adorably in approval, the edge his shirt lifting up over his chubbier legs to reveal bandages wrapped around his stubby legs, as he raised his arms to be picked up, clawing at the air.

Cooing at the boy, George obliged to the unspoken request, pulling in the boy who promptly burrowed into his coat once he was close enough.

"Hey Little Man, what do you think you want to do today?"

Looking down to seek shining eyes beneath a dark fringe, the older man laughed as he spotted a shy grin, nuzzling down and blowing raspberries on the toddler's rosy cheeks,

"So?"

Smile faltering a little as he stopped giggling, Alex looked searchingly up at George, who leant forward in desperation to hear any quiet response; Alex had spoken very little after The Park Incident, and while he wasn't panicked returning to the park (guaranteed someone was always close) his words were still sparse a few days after the incident, and his wounds still sore.

"Um, Sh'p?"

"Ship??"

Flailing an indignant arm at George, Alex protested, loudly exclaiming

"shop!"

"You mean, Shap? What's a shap?"

Bursting into peals of laughter at the exaggeratedly bemused expression on the man's face, Alex crowed louder,

"SHOP! O-o-o!"

His face relaxing in a relieved grin, George responded, his tone saturated with dawning understanding,

"Oooooh, you mean shop"

"Ye!"

Placing the boy back on his feet and grabbing his hand, the pair walked slowly through the Whitehouse, to George's rooms,

"Well I guess we'll have to get you dressed, huh?"

"No!"

After a battle with some particularly evil overalls, George stood next to a fully clothed little boy, and waved off his driver from where he stood near the door; They would do this properly.

"G'byyye! G'byee!"

The Whitehouse staff gave small waves and smiles to the toddler as he innocently gave sweeping waves as he made his way down the path, ridiculously talkative for someone who hadn't uttered more than 10 words for the past week.

The walk to the store was a slow affair, every 10 metres being graced with an excited gasp, a skip to whatever caught Alex's eye, 3 minutes of praising and complimenting (In George's face), before an adorable hop-step to the next item.

In the end a 200m walk took little over an hour, and Alex had ended up sprawled in the stroller Washington bought just in case, only to be rejuvenated at the sight of the store, doors opening as George strode through.

Quick as a whip Alex had leap to his feet, circling around a flower display before halting, the tips of his shoes lining up 5cm away from those of Washington.

"Trolley, or walking?"

Head flicking between the proffered hand and the trolley in a very visible dilemma, exhaustion eventually won over as Alex pointed at the trolley. Lifting him up and depositing him in the seat, George smiled as the boy straightened his back at first movement of the trolley.

"G- g.. Look here!"

Filing back Alex's inability to say his name for later, George turned his head to where Alex was pointing insistently, stroking his hair in a silent attempt to calm the boy down as people started to look over amusedly."You want this, 'Lil Man?"

Nodding at a dizzying speed, the toddler craned out to reach the fluffy tomcat dressed in military regalia, squealing excitedly and smooshing the animal to his face as it was handed to him.

"Now for some groceries??"

Reduced to hitting the metal around him in pure joy, 'Lex beamed around his toy, leaning forward in all the intensity his little body could manage, as they 'hunted' down their required foodstuffs.

After most of the aisles had been navigated, the pair made their way back to the checkout, "talking" over their purchases.

"Um Sir, that child is creating Quite the racket, may you kindly tell him to shut his mouth?"

Glaring fiercely at the woman, Washington placed a possessive hand on top of Alex's curls, where he'd just stopped excitedly rambling about the pink cake they would make with the newly acquired strawberry cake-mix.

"With all due respect, m'am I see his vocalisations no more offensive than the mess your child has made in aisle 3-"

"What?"

Giving a sharp jerk of the head to just behind the lady, she turned and gave a horrified gasp as her daughter position herself, butt in the air, to lick up milk that had obviously been dropped and split onto the store's floor.

Stuttering an apology, she sprinted over to the disaster site, scooping up her daughter in a gripping hug. Looking up at George, Alex beamed,

"Cake?"

"Yeah Alex, why don't you tell me more about the cake?"

The walk home was less of the hectic experience the arrival was, instead the toddler drawled sleepily about other foods they had gotten; The carrot shaped like a bird when craftily combined with wings of lettuce by George, the different colours of ice-cream, which had lead to a series of small hand prints being plastered along the side of the display case (George had texted the kitchen staff only moments later, requesting some different flavours be made) and the different coloured juices.

"I love col'rs G'pa"

Missing a single step as the endearing title dropped out of a clumsily fatigued mouth, George collected himself, murmuring a soft

"Yeah Alex, there are a lot too; What's your favourite?"

And as the last dregs of awareness left Alex's tiny body, and he slumped deeply into his stroller, nuzzling his new toy's fur, George caught a whispered,

"Bl'u, b'caus' it's wh't you w'r G'pa."