Many thanks to Lady of Silentia for the revisions!
Chapter 4: The Little Prince
"What place would you advise me to visit now?" the little prince asked.
"The planet Earth," replied the geographer. "It has a good reputation..."
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; The Little Prince)
Jane took another sip of her coffee and checked the watch. 0:20 am. Great. She wiped her eyes and tried hard to focus on driving home. She should have arrived hours ago, however, some people had been thinking the other way. 'Miss Foster, you surely know there are certain procedures that have to be done, please, wait a bit longer.' That was exactly their attitude. Procedures were important, not people. She sighed. If she had to choose the most boring and annoying event in the world, it would be the monthly meeting at headquarters.
Her eyelids were getting heavy, but then she finally saw the shapes of the well-known building on the horizon. At last! Now, just a quick peek at the computation progress and then sleep.
She parked her car and passed the entrance, catching a glimpse of the gatekeeper watching TV.
Tough job. She tought.
She switched the nearest light on and walked up the stairway and through the corridor to Eric's office. She noticed a dim light spreading from the room she was heading to. She shook her head.
"Come on, Eric, you know the doctor has forbidden you to stay awake for so long. And I definitely agree with him." She heard music when she came closer. Pink Floyd. At least something comforting.
"Eric?" she asked when she entered the room. However, Eric's desk was neat and still, his computer switched off. Just one lamp in the corner of the room was shining. "Is anyone there?" she tried again.
Strange. She looked outside the office and checked the corridor. Then she walked back and around the table with huge piles of documents and folders stacked up on it. When she rounded the table, she walked straight into a pile of crumpled papers lying on the floor.
"What's..." she began, but stopped right after. In front of her, there was a familiar, lean figure sitting in the chair, his arms and head rested on the table. "… this." she added quietly. Well, this was a bit unexpected.
She hesitated, not knowing what to do. But then she decided to step over the papers and come closer.
For a while, she observed the regular movements of his chest. It felt really strange to see him like this and hear David Gilmour's beautiful voice singing "How I wish you were here" at the same time.
The keyboard was pushed aside. Folded under his arms, there were papers filled with his elegant handwriting. Next to him, she noticed an empty box of chocolate ice-cream. How can someone possibly eat so much ice-cream? He'll definitely feel sick when he wakes up.
She reached out and poked the mouse lightly to see what the screensaver was hiding. It seemed like the calculation outcome. It's done already? As she went quickly through the record, the excitement started running through her veins. It did make sense, actually.
She felt that this position was getting too uncomfortable and moved to the other side of the chair. And there was her book, lying on another pile of documents. She opened it, curious, at the page with her own calculation concept. Aside from the comments Leonard added, Jane was surprised to see something new. She had to tilt the book into the light to view it properly.
It was a picture. A drawing of a boy sitting on a stone; a few stars above him. He looked sad, had his head in hands and his elbows rested on his knees. The boy was wearing a long coat and boots and there was a sword propped against the stone next to him.
Under the picture, there was a note saying simply 'I am sorry. L.'
Jane was fighting a smile when she turned to look at the sleeping man next to her. She rubbed her eyebrow. What does the picture mean? It reminded her of something but she could not remember.
She closed her book and realized there was another one. There was a sticker on its hard cover saying 'L. Wednesday'. She thought it was not a bad idea to sign her book, too. She looked at Leonard for a moment and then she pulled his book closer. She opened it on the very first page and raised her eyebrows with a sheer surprise. There was a picture of the same boy she saw a moment ago. But this time the boy was staring at the starry sky above, the sword in his hand pointed to the ground.
Suddenly she realized it looked quite similar to the illustrations in a book she used to read as a child. The Little Prince. But why? What does it mean? Well, there was surely more to Mr. Wednesday than meets the eye…
She felt blush coming to her cheeks. Now, Jane, are you satisfied? This stuff is really personal, you know? She reprimanded herself and pushed the book aside. But then she grabbed it again and went through the pages to the last one filled with writing. There was a new calculation concept. It seemed he had just changed two parameters and it worked out. How simple. Well, seems like someone got lucky again.
Slowly and carefully, she returned to her original position beside her sleeping colleague.
My, I have to wake him up somehow. She was thinking about what to do next, but then she chose just to bend down and observe the movements of the pupils beneath his eyelids.
His face appeared so tranquil. She had to admit his features were impressive; the lines of his eyebrows and cheekbones were just... perfect. Suddenly she felt a bit guilty and looked away.
However, she looked right back as there was a movement. A rip proceeded through a paper he was lying on.
He definitely won't be pleased. She mused as she observed the scene.
She moved more to the side and spoke. "Mr. Wednesday?"
But it had no particular effect. "Leonard?" She tried again.
A lazy "Mmmh" escaped his vocal chords. She could not help but smile.
He moved again and the rip proceeded. She bit her lip. I have to do something. She bent down again and laid her hand on his shoulder. How strange to touch someone so distant in this way. Another hint of guilt passed her mind, because of how good it felt.
"Leonard? Please, wake up." She spoke again, her voice more intense, and stroked his arm.
A flash of green, and then he shot up, ripping the paper in half; one of the pieces remaining stuck to his face.
"What's..?" He rasped, looking startled and surprised. "Oh no!" he exclaimed huskily and tried to grab the paper piece.
"Shh, wait a sec." She chuckled.
He looked up to her. She came closer and removed the paper carefully, avoiding his intriguing eyes. Then she put the paper halves together and grabbed the tape.
"Would you please hold it like this?" She asked him quietly. He obeyed and placed his long fingers where she was holding the paper. She withdrew quickly as she felt inappropriate warmth spreading from the areas of her skin where he touched her.
Jane fixed the paper halves together and checked her work carefully. She smiled. It looked pretty good.
"I think we did it. What do you say?"
He viewed the paper intently. "Looks as good as new. Thank you." He looked up to her, smiling lightly. Then he noticed the computer screen.
"Oh, it's finished..?"
He studied the outcome for a while, supporting his head with his hand, tapping his cheek with his long fingers, slowly, to the rhythm of another great song, Shine on you crazy diamond. Jane smiled to herself. Yes, to some point, this song fitted this situation and this person so perfectly, although it had been written for someone else. For someone else entrirely.
It only took a moment and he seemed to completely forget about her presence. Jane looked around, but then could not resist the urge to observe that unfathomable twinkle in his eyes.
"You reached for the secret too soon… "
She got startled a bit when she heard his voice. But a moment later she realized it was not addressed to her. It seemed he got carried away and was just singing along, his voice quiet, but so clear, and precisely in tune… Her mind was going blank, giving in to that strange atmosphere. She thought that she could listen to this sound for the rest of the night, but…
Slowly, she was getting nervous and was prepared to speak up. But then he suddenly closed his eyes and inclined his head at a very strange angle. Two short cracking noises followed. For a second he remained unmoving and then sighed with relief, bending his head down to the table and covering it with his arms.
Jane straightened quickly. "What was that?" She tilted her head. "Still alive?"
"I'm not too sure." He sounded like he was holding a breath.
Jane chuckled. "Maybe you should reconsider sleeping here the next time."
He turned his head to face her, still lying on the desk. "Not a bad idea." Then he straightened, wiped his eyes and saved the record.
"So..?" Jane asked.
"Sooo… It looks quite reasonable. We'll see tomorrow." He smiled.
Then he stood up and stretched, and walked to the window to take a look outside. "What time is it, actually?"
"0:50 if you ask me." Jane retorted.
"Is it?" he turned to her. "My, it's gotten pretty late. Well, what are you doing here, actually?"
She snorted. "You're asking me? Don't you think I have a better right to ask this question?"
They remained still for a while.
Then he walked back and looked straight into her eyes. "You don't like me." He said.
It was not a question. It was a statement.
And this simple statement hit her unprepared. She felt taken aback. No, that's not true… or is it?
"No, I… " All right Jane, articulate, please. Say something reasonable. Now.
She flailed her arms helplessly and sighed. "I don't know what to say."
He observed her intently. "So… you do not."
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like that, you're…" her throat constricted. "All right… " she inhaled and cleared her throat. "I know… I know it must have looked like that, but it's not true. I was just…" She sighed and bit her lip. Then she turned to him. "Have you ever felt like everything you do is in vain? Like no matter what you do or try, there's no improvement? She let out a bitter laugh. "Of course not. How could you?"
"But this is exactly the situation I am in for almost a year now. And nobody cares, everyone is just like 'Well, Jane, that happens, maybe you should focus on something else.' And then, somebody completely inexperienced comes and everything is working. Like it was me who was wrong the whole time, di you understand? But I always…" Her voice failed for a moment. She felt tears falling from her eyes. Be careful, this is getting too awkward. She swallowed and tried to continue in a low voice.
"I am not like this, I never was. I hate being so arrogant and bossy, I know you do not deserve it, but… I just couldn't help it, you know?" her voice broke again. She covered her mouth and turned away.
He moved closer to her. "I think I understand what you are trying to say." He spoke softly. "I apologize if I ever offended you."
She wiped her cheeks. "No, you don't have to apologize. But please, understand my situation. This is not me. I'm not like this."
"I know you are not."
"Really?" she turned back. "Well, I didn't give you many opportunities to find out…"
"Still, it was enough." He smiled and leaned against the table.
"I'm so sorry about all of this." She leaned against the table next to him and looked down.
They remained silent and unmoving.
"Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side…"
Jane shook her head when the lyrics reached her. Is it High Hopes now? Someone must be doing this on purpose… She was not able to tell how long that moment lasted. But then she raised her head and met his penetrating eyes. It was unbearable. She felt like a stone in her throat was pulling her down and looked away again.
All right, Jane, now say something more. She sighed. "Well, do you think… do you think we can start again? I mean… as if anything of this never happened."
"Of course." He moved forward and stood right in front of her. When she straightened, he took her hand. "Nice to meet you again, Miss Foster."
She frowned, sniffling. "Oh, please. Don't call me that. I should have told you at the beginning. Now I feel like some old hag, you know. It's Jane, ok?"
"All right, Jane." He smiled. "So I guess you can call me by my first name as well."
"Ok." She smiled back. "So, nice to meet you again, Leonard. And…" she wiped her cheek. This was a good moment. She felt relieved. "… congratulations on the job with the calculation." She added. "Your parents gave you definitely the proper name, you know."
At this comment, something stirred in his eyes and suddenly he looked very uneasy. Must have touched an aching spot, Jane thought.
Something was not right, so she decided to change the topic quickly.
"Well… you don't have a car, do you?" she began in a casual tone, as if nothing happened.
"No." He looked away.
"And am I right in assuming that Garo did not leave his car here for you?"
"Yes."
"Well, of course I can take you home with me now, but can I ask you what exactly were you planning to do if I hadn't come? Stay here until morning?" She asked, wiping her eyes properly when she finally found a handkerchief in her bag.
"Um… I was definitely not planning to fall asleep here, but… it depends on how late it would be. I guess I would just return by myself like many times before. It takes only about 40 minutes by feet. It's quite refreshing. The desert around, starry sky above…" he answered, shrugging, and turned to collect the papers.
She looked around, sighing in disbelief. "Are you insane? It's dangerous! Especially after dark!" she exclaimed.
"Nonsense. Returning to college by night bus is dangerous, not this." He continued, not looking at her.
"What? Do I have to remind you where we are? What about the criminals, the drug dealers and people like that?"
"There's no reason for them to be interested in me. I would not be frightened of that." He displayed the same old perfectly calm attitude.
It's probably completely useless to argue with him. But still…
"Oh, really? Then what about me for instance? Would you remain so calm if I was planning to go home through the desert at this hour?"
He stopped and looked at her for a moment. "Of course not."
She folded her arms. "You see?"
"You are not safe in any dark place." He turned the music off.
"What…?"
"You're a woman." He winked at her.
"Hey… Mr. Wednesday?" She laid her hands on her hips and inclined her head.
"Miss Foster?" he looked at her, amused.
Well, that's better. But he definitely likes teasing people.
"All right, I'm giving up. I sincerely intended to take you home with me, but you can go any way you wish. But I warn you, my offer is going to expire in a moment." She smirked. Maybe I shall join this teasing game, too.
"I do not recall refusing it." He answered in a challenging tone and came closer, placing his intense gaze upon her.
"Well," she looked down, surprised by the warmth coming to her cheeks. "you did not agree, either."
"Then I think I shall accept your most gracious offer." He was very close now.
"All right. Just in time." She almost whispered the answer.
Jane, what's happening with you?
ooOOOoo
The way home started in silence. Jane observed the road running away underneath the lights. She was very tired but could not stop thinking about what she had said back then and how sad it had made him. She knew that feeling. She remembered several such situations happening hundreds of times in her life.
She glanced at him quickly. He was looking out of the window, his long fingers tracing some lines on the glass surface.
"I'm sorry Leonard."
He looked at her.
"You know, about that comment I made about your parents. I know how it feels… it's been a long time, but still, it hurts. I'm sorry, I didn't know…"
He sighed. "No, it's ok. However, it's probably not what you imagine."
"And what is it?"
"I thought Eric would tell you."
"Tell what?"
"You see…" he paused. "I don't know who my parents were."
"You're adopted?"
"Kind of."
"What?" she raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'Kind of'?"
He inhaled deeply. "Well, I'm not sure if I should tell you right now. It's a bit complicated and it's getting too late."
"Complicated?"
"I see I have no choice." He smiled bitterly. "Very well. Now, where to begin…" He wiped his eyes and sighed. "The thing is, my life as it is now started almost three years ago. If there was something before, I do not remember. Not a thing."
She turned to him. "What? I mean… how's that possible? You had an accident?" Suddenly she felt very awake.
"That's probably what happened. I'm not too sure. I was found near the area where an accident with the explosive storage took place." He looked uneasy again. Jane was thinking. Should I keep asking him? It seems it's hard for him to speak about it.
But it sounded familiar to her. "Did you say three years ago? In Texas?"
"Yes."
"I remember that. It was huge. First, everyone was talking about some assault, but then it turned out to be an accident. Well, at least according to all the news. It was very strange."
"Exactly."
"It was at the time when a great aurora could be seen in this territory."
"Yes, I was told later. I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to see it."
"Why so?"
"Well, I was in hospital, fighting for my life, nothing more." He answered with a hint of sarcasm.
"It was that bad?"
"Not at the beginning. They said I was conscious when I was found but it got worse in the hospital."
She frowned. "What? I mean, what were they doing with you?"
"I don't know. I preferred not to ask. They gave up when everything had failed and just waited for my death. But I lived somehow. Well, in the end it seemed like they had made a mistake with the blood transfusion."
"Hah.. This is just unbelievable!" Jane retorted and waved her hand heatedly.
"Even such things may happen." But he appeared to be quite reconciled with the truth.
"You could have died easily!" she exclaimed.
"Still, such things can happen."
"Yeah, that's… great, really." Jane sighed. "I'm glad to know. But anyway, you said you did not remember anything, so what happened next? You must have been… missing or… did anyone care to find you?"
"Actually… no. It seems like I'm all alone." He just stated it as a matter of fact.
"That's just too strange. I cannot believe it."
Jane shook her head. This entire story sounded so weird. But way too familiar to her. Could it be true? Could he come from that place? And if so, why is he here and where's Thor? It was just… not making much sense. And even if the craziest theories were true, he had forgotten and believes himself to be a human for almost three years now. He had struggled to find his way to live a new life. It would not be wise to tell him now.
He pulled her down to earth as he continued. "Don't worry, I feel quite the same. It was a very bad situation. I had no memories, no one missed me, I had no identity… Strange people were visiting me, asking questions…"
"What strange people?"
"I don't know, I don't remember them exactly. I think I was suspected for the explosion."
"What?" her eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
"And who would not be suspicious? Who knows, maybe you should be more careful around me." He added with a hint of smile.
"Yeah, you definitely look like a terrorist." She added ironically.
"Well, there was no proof I was. But on the other hand, no one can prove I'm not."
She shook her head. "You know, I think people do not change much. So, if you were a villain, you would certainly continue to behave like one. And you are not a bad person."
"I hope so." He replied and remained silent.
Jane bit her lip. She was way too curious. "So, what happened then? Well, if you don't mind answering. Just stop me if it's getting too uncomfortable, ok?"
"It is, to be honest. But I guess I should tell you the story to the end once I started." He was thinking for a moment. "A woman called Sheila visited me almost every day back then. She wasn't very talkative; she always brought newspapers and some food and then left."
"And who was that Sheila? She was the one who had found you?"
"No, no. It was her brother who was on holiday at her ranch with his family. They brought me to the hospital. Later I was told they were visiting me each day before I woke up. But back to the point. When the investigation was over she came with a policeman who showed me profiles of some missing people who looked similar to me. Of course, I did not recognize any of them. So Sheila asked me if I don't mind to be called Leonard. She had called me that the whole time, so I agreed. I was used to it."
"And what about the second name?"
"I think it's not too hard to guess." He challenged her.
"It's the day you were found?"
"Precisely." He smiled.
Jane smiled back. "That's… nice. I like it, you know."
"Well, back then I was just glad to have a name. But later it felt a bit stupid. Sometimes."
"Why? It sounds pretty interesting."
"Does it? Hm." he frowned. "I think it's rather interesting how many people can remember that it's a name of a day but cannot remember which it is. Sometimes it's getting too annoying to explain it's Wednesday, not Monday or Friday or whatever."
She laughed. "I'm sorry, it's just…" she shrugged, "kind of cute."
"Really? One would think life would be much less complicated with such a nice name." he grinned.
"Oh, come on. And why Leonard?"
His features got more serious again. "You see, this is a bit sad as well. The man who found me, Michael, had a son around my age who died in a car accident. It was his name."
"Ah." Jane did not know what else to say. She waited for a moment. "So, Sheila arranged a new identity for you. And what then? Where did you go when they discharged you from the hospital?"
"Sheila took me with her."
"Oh, so you lived in a farm in Texas? How come you appeared at MIT?"
"You are being very impatient, Miss Foster." He looked at her, his eyes a bit more cheerful again.
"Well, Mr. Wednesday, I'm afraid I cannot help it. I'm too curious." Oh, at last. He seems relieved a bit.
"So… First, you are right; I lived at a ranch in Texas for some time." He continued.
"And what did you do there?"
"Well, what would you say? I just helped Sheila with the household, and all the stuff she had to do. Of course there were some other people to help but still, she was not young anymore and most of the time she felt kind of alone, so she was glad to have someone around, someone she could take care of… " he stretched his long arms. "I was reading books in the evenings, watching cooking shows every Saturday morning…"
"What? Cooking shows?" Jane asked in disbelief, slightly amused.
"Yes. Sheila liked it. I don't know… Is there anything wrong about it? I can prepare the best lemon cream pie in the world since then. Everyone who has tasted it would agree." This time he smiled for real.
She could not help it and chuckled. "I'm sorry again." She tried to explain, her shoulders trembling. "Don't take it the wrong way, I'm not laughing at you. It's just so cute…"
"Unbelievable." He furrowed his eyebrows at her playfully and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, really. Now then, I think I have to come and taste it myself." Jane said when she managed to calm down.
"No problem. I promise to try my best." He stated confidently. "Just let me know in advance so I can banish the cockroach community from the kitchen in time."
"What?" she asked, startled.
He grinned widely. "You don't have to believe everything I say."
"Oh really?" She chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to know." She sighed. "So, where did we end?"
"It was…" Leonard hesitated for a while as he looked around the parking space next to his dormitory. "Are you sure you want to hear it all now?"
"Oh please!"
"All right then." He sighed. "So, after about three weeks, Michael came to visit Sheila again. But this time, it was because of me. He proposed that I come and live with his family in Boston."
"Boston? My, we're getting closer…" She grinned.
"Of course…" he smiled back. "He even offered me a job in the docks. Actually, at first the deal was to stay with them as long as I required for some assimilation and then I would start living on my own. But in the end, it turned out a different way. It all started with the puzzles I think…"
"What?"
"Well, those in magazines. Julie, Michael's wife, loves them; especially the mathematical and logical ones. Once, she was bored, but she found out that all the puzzles in all the magazines and books were solved already. So I designed a few for her and kept her busy the whole afternoon. It became sort of a hobby of mine, I think. I prefered having my mind busy with that rather than with thoughts on my past." He paused.
"Yeah, but how does this relate to..." Jane asked, but was cut off.
"There was a visitor once. A friend of the previous Leonard. He wanted to see me, you know. And... well, Mike and Julie... They were sort of proud of me, I think. Of course they had to talk about that thing with the puzzles and wanted him to see some of them, because he is good at maths and had actually studied at MIT for some time as well. He was quite suspicious and doubted me, so I gave him the most... interesting ones I ever made. He solved some of them and said I should have started a job for a magazine or something. Well, and Julie blurted out: And what about MIT? - We laughed at that at first, but she refused to leave the thought. One thing led to another and finally the friend said he still had some connections at the school. So he arranged an interview. And well, it was Garo who wanted to lose some time with me. I remember spending five hours in his office back then." He stretched his arms again on that note, looking a bit weary.
"And then… you were accepted?" Jane asked again, sheer curiosity in her eyes.
"No, who do you think I am?" he laughed slightly with a hint of irony and surprise. "I'm not such a terrible know-it-all, you know? In fact, it was not easy at all. I think I was very lucky that Garo became so interested in me. Otherwise, I had no chance. I had to learn many things to get there and without his help it would have been impossible."
"Wow, I'm relieved." Jane sighed and patted her chest.
"Why?" he asked, confused.
"Don't take it badly, please, but… I'm relieved that you had to learn and work hard for something. Because you always seemed like you were born with a databank in your head." She waved her arms.
He chuckled. "No, I was not; I can assure you about that. But I wished for it many times."
"Yeah." She smiled knowingly. "So I guess Michael and Julie offered you their support during the studies?"
"Correct."
"It seems they are very generous people."
He sighed. "They are, indeed. I owe them quite a lot."
"And… the former Leonard was Michael's only child?"
At that, Leonard looked out of the window and smiled. "No."
"Oh, so you have gained some… how to put it… siblings?" She bent forward and raised her eyeberows.
"To. Be. Continued." He said simply and turned to face her. He seemed to be enjoying her surprised look.
"What? Oh come on, Leonard! Just a little more."
"Jane, honestly…" he sighed.
"Please…" she inclined her head.
"Yes, I have gained some siblings and now you strongly remind me of one of them." He explained, fighting back a smile.
"Oh, really? And what does she look like?" Jane asked enthusiastically.
"It's not about the looks but the behavior. She's seven!"
Jane frowned, somewhat taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"As I said. No more fairytales tonight, it's time to go to bed, Lady Jane." He stated uncompromisingly but then smiled.
"Hey you!" she retorted playfully. "I'm not a little girl, I'm just curious. You know, a scientist has to be."
"And may I ask in which scientific journal do you intend to publish this data?" He raised one eyebrow.
She shook her head. "You're insufferable, really."
"In that case, if you would excuse me…"
"Come on, I did not mean it." Jane said and yawned a little.
"I know. But I guess it's time to go, anyway."
"Yeah…" Jane answered and looked at him, leaning against the headrest. He was ready to leave when she spoke again.
"Leonard?"
"Yes?"
"May I have one last little question?"
"Regarding?"
"Um… Back in the office, I looked in my book. At the page where I attempted to do the calculation concept. I found the picture from you."
He remained still.
"Is it the Little Prince?"
"It is."
"So… you just like it? Or what does it mean?"
He looked down. "It was the first book I read. It's very special to me. Mostly because the situations and emotions described there are… familiar."
"I see." She answered quietly.
Then he sighed and looked out of the window. "Who knows, maybe there's my own small planet somewhere out there, waiting for me to return."
Jane bit her lip and viewed him intently. She hesitated, contemplating the right answer. She opened her mouth to say something but then he turned to her. "Jane?" he raised a brow. "That was a joke. I'm not an alien."
"Of course." She bowed her head and looked at her hands. A moment of silence passed until he spoke again. "Good night, Lady Jane."
"Same to you." She looked at him. "I guess we deserve to sleep a bit longer today, don't you think? I can come for you at… let's say, 9:30?"
"That would be great."
"Yep. So, see you in the morning."
"In the morning. Thank you, Jane." He smiled at her.
"It was nothing." she smiled back and watched him leave.
Sleep well, Little Prince. Whoever you are.
ooOOOoo
Another disclaimer: the songs mentioned here belong to Pink Floyd, of course! Thank you, guys for such an epic and wonderful contribution to human culture!
And thank you all for reading, all the Story Alerts and Favorites make me so glad. Thank you for the rewiews you've left so far and please, keep leaving them, it's very stimulating and encouraging, and I need it! :)