AN: Disclaimer on the first/second chapter. :) Monroe is Monroe here and so is Madison. They haven't switched.
Getting to WICKED Headquarters, there were a lot of parents, with their children latched on their arms. They were sending them off.
"Mommy," Monroe tugged Anne's pants. "Why are there so many people?"
Anne looked at her child and answered.
"Just like mommy and daddy, they want their kids to be safe."
"Safe from what?" Madison asked.
Anne couldn't answer that. They would never understand. They were far too young to understand.
Madison waited for her answer patiently.
Anne hesitated. But David answered for her.
"There are dangerous monsters everywhere, Maddie. We need to keep you all away from them."
"Are those monsters like the ones that got into our neighbourhood, mommy?" Her twins were a handful but Anne loved them very much and was willing to do anything to keep them safe along with Cissa.
"Ah… Welcome, Mister and Missus James. Please, come with me. Doctor Paige has been expecting you."
"Of course. How about our belongings?" David queried.
"We will be collecting them as soon as you've finished conversing with the Chancellor. Anne nodded in understanding.
Several parents were shouting, complaining about the unfairness of it all. How the family got their appointment just after arriving.
"Mommy! Why're they shouting!?" Madison yelled through the loud noise.
"Let's follow the man! Stay close and hold your father's hand!" Anne replied just as loud.
By the time the family had reached the hallway where the Chancellor's office was, there was little boy perched on one of the seats of the hallway. He was very tiny and had a mop of dirty blond hair.
David and Anne, with the baby, went inside. Anne had instructed the twins in a hushed tone to make friends with the boy and they complied.
"Hello. Are you alone? My name's Monroe." Monroe inquired kindly. The blond boy looked up, looking at the identical sisters in front of him.
"Yes." He mumbled, not really interested in making friends.
"What's your name?" She asked yet again. Madison looked more interested in playing with the doll so she disregarded the boy.
"Isaac." He muttered.
"That's weird." Monroe giggled.
Isaac laughed. "Even yours is." He retorted.
"Can we be friends?" Monroe added.
"Sure." Isaac held out his hand to do a high-five. Monroe didn't know what that motion was so she put her hand across his own gently. Isaac turned red. Monroe raised her eyebrow.
"What's wrong?"
"That's not how you do a high-five." He said in-between laughs.
"How do you do it, then?" She pouted.
"It's like clapping but one hand is mine and the other is yours." He explained.
"Oh. But it was almost!" Monroe argued.
"Fine. It was almost a high-five but it's not." Isaac replied, grinning.
A woman left the office, running away. Isaac stood up, and attempted to chase after her but the woman was turning and running too fast for his little legs to keep up with.
Isaac sank down the hallway's floor. As Monroe and Madison's parents emerged from the room, they had noticed the boy was sobbing and turned to look at the twins.
"Girls, what have you done?" Anne looked angry.
"We did nothing, mommy. Isaac just─"
"Did you make him cry?" Anne looked ready to burst from the anger.
Madison stood up from the chair she sat on, carrying the doll with her.
"I saw everything mommy. A woman ran away. I think it was his mother."
"Oh, poor boy." Anne commented. She walked slowly towards the sobbing boy and helped him up.
"Hello. My name is Anne. Are you alright?"
Isaac turned his head sideways.
"Come with me. We'll help you find your mother." Anne assured.
They all headed inside the office where the Chancellor sat in front of a desk.
"Has his mother left already?" The Chancellor looked at him pointedly then back to Anne.
Anne's eyes grew incredulously.
"Is that regular protocol here?" The Chancellor nodded, clearly a little confused about the sudden question.
"Children this young should never be subjected to abandonment. They need their mothers to nurture them." Anne protested.
"I agree with Anne. Look at the poor boy. Parentless and clearly confused of the current events happening around him." David quipped.
"I understand your concern for the boy, but that is none of your business." The Chancellor retorted.
"And why not?" Anne looked almost angry.
"Normally, I tend to keep quiet about the children's parents' conditions but since you are questioning it, I'll address it to you in a clear manner." The Chancellor replied.
"Then what happened to his mother? Did she get infected?" David responded.
The Chancellor nodded grimly.
"She knew that leaving the boy here would give him the best chance of survival."
"And what of the boy's father?" Anne looked at her own children, questioning herself if she could ever leave them the way the boy's mother had. If she was infected, she should've, but as long she was healthy and fit for motherhood, she would keep fighting for them.
"Mommy. Where's Isaac's mother?" Monroe approached Anne and asked in a sad manner.
"She…" Anne trailed off.
"It was for his own good. His best chance." David replied, his tone final, it had alerted Monroe not to press.
The little baby, Cissa jolted and began sobbing.
"Give me Narcissa," Anne ordered. David complied, handing the little baby bundle to Anne who began comforting the baby by humming a gentle lullaby.
The Chancellor looked at Anne and her child and came to a conclusion.
"I think I can figure out a solution for this problem, Anne. I'll have to contact you for the details later on, or are you alright if you stay for a few days?"
"There's no need for us to go home, Ava. We've packed everything." David replied.
"And what of your home in the Hamptons?"
"Our neighbourhood was overrun by Cranks. There's nothing to go back for." Anne added.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"There's nothing to worry about. Speaking of which, how are the Fitzgerald children?"
"They're excellent. They are wonderful to work with."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. They've always been good children."
"Seeing as you're staying here, I'm calling a representative to get you to your home as of now."
"Thank you, Ava." Anne and David replied simultaneously.
"It's the least I could do."
"Let's go, girls." Anne waited for the girls to catch up, Isaac trailing after them.
"Can I at least take the boy with me, Ava? He needs someone around here." Anne looked at him sadly.
"By all means, go ahead. This is part of the job I could offer you and your husband." Ava smiled fondly.
"Come, Isaac." She smiled at the boy.
"Where's my mother?" He asked in a thick accent.
Anne formulated for an answer before concluding, "Your mother was sick, you see, if she kept you with her, you would be sick too. Understand?" The boy nodded.
"That's why you'll be staying with us. Is that okay with you?" The boy nodded again, not saying a word.
"Well, let's go then," Anne instructed as a WCKD representative arrived, leading them to their accommodation of sorts.
AN: Guess who he is? :)
Replies:
Fan story fan: Thank you! As for Gally being involved, it'll be made clear on the chapters to come. I hope you like this chapter, despite being different from the last! :)
Review me your thoughts and suggestions! I always love great ideas! :)