Hello i'm so sorry for not updating in months. From the middle of November on I've been working on oneshots, and several of them I'd started in 2012/2013. Anyway. Now those are finished. And now, as we're in 2021 I'm getting back to working on my stories as I usually do.

If there'll be a long A/N for this chapter. I just wanted to say that since the last chapter I finished a story and started some. And I'm not going to list them, if you're interested in them you can just go on my profile. But I just want to brag some about aaaaaaallllllllll the oneshots I've written.

-If only I could find the answer- Cobra Kai
-Words I could say, feelings I couldn't- Cobra Kai (Written for Epilepsy/ seizure/ SUDEP awareness and in memory of Pat Morita)
-Could this really be the truth- Cobra Kai (AU right after the end of season 2)
-Different son, different dad- Cobra Kai
-The forgotten kitchen towel- O. C.
-Give my heart a break- The dumping ground
-Crazy famous wolfmoon- Harry Potter
-Second chances I never thought I'd have- Julie and the phantoms
-Secrets kept- Harry Potter
-Without you I'm in pain- Twilight
-A wealth bigger than all- Ghost whisperer
-All I want for Christmas- Annie (In memory of Ann Reinking and Albert Finney)
-Some things change, some do not- Julie and the phantoms
-Parents and children- Julie and the phantoms

Can you see I was a bit obsessed with Cobra Kai for a while? As I'm starting to write this chapter I'm binge-watching season 3.

Philip looks like Matt Czuchry.

Alexander "Alex" Walker

Eight year old Alex sat by the kitchen table with his homework in front of him. It was Saturday but he had left some of his work behind. And at last, when he was almost about to fail classes he had to do it.

To prove that he was actually doing something right. Every now and then he showed his dad, Stephen Walker what he was doing. Stephen looked it over and then let Alex continue with his work while he went back into his office.

"Dad?" Suddenly Alex was right next to him by his desk chair. "What are you doing? You didn't hear me shouting? What's that?"

And before Stephen could stop him or turn the computer screen away from him Alex had read from it.

"Children…" He read out loud. "Servi…"

"Don't care about that." Stephen grabbed his son by the shoulders and forced him to turn around. "I'm just doing some research about my job… Can I see what you have there? Math homework? Show it to me."

Stephen didn't let wait for it, he took the papers and went back towards the kitchen while Alex followed him.

"You got it right…" Stephen mumbled, to himself mostly. "…You got this right, and this. You got everything right my smart boy."

You got it right?

My smart boy?

Stephen knew very well that right now he'd made up his mind about what to do.

He just wasn't the type of person to be a father.

Still, he knew that what he was about to do wasn't in any bit right.

"Dad? Can you come and help me with this?"

Flashback

"What's wrong mummy?"

Aileen Peters sat by the table in the small, little one-bedroom flat she shared with her son. A bunch of paper sheets with different numbers and letters on them, and maybe if five-year- old Alexander had been a whole lot years older he would have gotten what they were.

Now, everything he knew was that they must be important, because they were spread all over the table and some had even fallen onto the floor, and Aileen made no move as if she was going to pick them up.

"What is all this? Why are you so sad?"

Aileen barely noticed herself but tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks and down on the papers in front of her.

"Mummy?" Alex had come over to her. "Why are you sad?"

He looked down on the paper sheets on table, a mix of bills that hadn't and couldn't be paid and leaflets and papers from the social services.

"what is this? Why does it make you so sad?"

"No." Forgetting that Alex couldn't read Aileen pushed away some papers to where he couldn't see them. "This isn't anything for a kid to go through."

There was just no way for her to pay these bills. Not with having Alex and rent and everything else that she needed to pay for every months. Alex most of all.

She only had one single idea about what to do…

Alex had never lived with his father. And from when Stephen found out he was going to be one he hadn't showed much interest in getting to know Alex neither,

But after all she knew Stephen Walker was quite a nice man, and she couldn't imagine that he would want to hurt their son in any way.

Maybe her idea about having Stephen take care of their son once and for all would be for the best. But she had tried talking to him and it only led to a big fight about that Stephen didn't want to care for Alex more than he ever had. Which wasn't much…

No! if Aileen was going to have any chance of making any change at all she needed to get on with it herself.

Once more, Aileen ruffled through the papers she had of bills and counted with all the money she had as if she counted it in just the right way then she'd have more money or fewer bills.

She looked around at where she was and then looked at down on the most important bill.

It was going more and more expensive…

Even though she knew that everything around her, including her son would be taken away from her if she didn't find a way to pay these soon. She also knew she couldn't go through all of that. There had to be a better way to do it.

All of inside of Aileen screamed at her not to do it..

"Alex? Do you want to come with me to the kiosk this week and find what treat you want?"

Maybe at least, when Alex would be with his father he'd be able to get both candy, poop and a magazine all at once. Instead of only one of them he could choose every week.

And that had to be a good thing… right?

When Aileen helped Alex to get his shoes on and into his booster seat she remembered that she'd have to remember everything Alex owned for him to take with him.

Not that it was much! She'd sold all of Alex's baby and toddler stuff to try and make as much money as possible.

But now she was all out of that money.

"This week I want pop… no magazine, no pop…."

Aileen was only half concentrated on the road and on her son's wishes about what he wanted for this week's treat.

Most of her concentration was on the fact that this was the last time she'd have Alex in the seat behind her.

"No magazine…" Alex said at last as she pulled over in front of the gas station. "…Anthon's solving mysteries. Can I come with you inside?"

"No." Despite it all Aileen forced her voice steady. "I have to go in on my own this time. Stay there. And unbuckle the belt and if someone comes here then get out and run into the station. Okay?"

"Okay."

When Aileen turned her back against the car and went into the gas station she forced down the lump in her throat. Maybe if someone saw her crying that would be enough for her to break and without a thought telling what she was about to do.

She easily found her son's favorite pop and magazine and went to pay for them. Aileen kept on forcing the tears away but she still saw the clerk looking weirdly at her.

If that clerk had only known the terrible Aileen was about to do…

"Thank you."

At last Aileen mumbled a thanks, took the can with Fanta and the comic book of Anthon's solving mysteries and then went outside where Alex was still waiting for her in the car. Well there she forced her hands not to tremble when she reached her son what she had bought.

"Here you go, your favorite comic. And your favorite pop."

"Both at once? Wow! Thanks mummy."

"Listen now Alex… Do you know where your daddy works. You know that right?" Alex nodded. "I'll be dropping you off there, and you need to wait for him. But you shouldn't disturb him at work so you just wait? Okay?"

"Okay mummy. But why can't I just go home with you?"

Aileen didn't have a good answer for that question.

"Here we go." Aileen felt like either fainting or vomiting when she pulled over in front of the right building. "Come on."

Doing it too fast to get her to change her mind she went around the car and took Alex's booster seat out, then put it next to him on the ground when Alexander sat down on a bench.

"You know I love you?" Aileen asked, as if that would make it okay when she pushed her hand through Alex's hair. "Always know I love you. It doesn't matter what happens."

"Can you help me open the bottle?"

Alex, only five years old cared more for his drink and magazine than what his mother said.

"Great! I love this taste…"

At last tears came streaming down her cheeks when Aileen knew she couldn't stay here any longer. While Alex- not knowing what was about to happen started reading from his new magazine Aileen told herself she did everything fast because she needed to do it before she changed her mind.

But it was with changing her mind every second of the way as she started the car and drove away.

And then, with one last look towards her son that sat down on the bench outside his dad's work. Aileen hit the gas pedal harder than she'd ever done before.

She didn't look away from her rearview mirror until she had turned the corner and her son had gone completely away from her vision.

But Alex would be okay with his father.

Would he?

At least that was what Aileen always tried to tell herself years and years forward.

It was hard to believe as she made her choice.

But the day she gave in and tried to find her son again it was a million times harder…

End of flashback

Maybe there was no right or wrong…

All the homework had been done on Saturday, on Sunday Stephen sat alone by the very same kitchen table and just waited.

"Dad?" Alex came 0into the kitchen with a crooked, mischievous smile that he always had. "What's up with you? You've been all weird for ages now." As if to prove something Alex jumped up to sit on the kitchen counter- something he liked but knew it drew Stephen crazy.

And Stephen didn't even react.

All of the time that had passed when Stephen could and should have told his son about what was about to happen.

Still he hadn't and it was soon to happen.

Way too soon since there was just footsteps on the porch and a ring on the doorbell.

"I'll take it." Alex jumped onto the floor and walked out the kitchen, down the hallway and to the door while Stephen forced his tears away and followed. "Hey."

The man outside was blonde, probably in his forties and held onto a few papers and a bag over his shoulder.

"Hello. You must be Alexander…" Alex wrinkled his nose to show what he thought of it.

"Alex."

"…Alex." The man held a briefcase in one hand and his coat in the other. "Can I hang this…"

"Here. Let me take it." Stephen more or less ripped the coat from its owner hands and hung it on a hook right inside the door. "We can sit down here in the kitchen, to the right." He nervously laid a hand on Alex's back and led him. "This is Alex…. Well. You already know that. And I'm Stephen, Stephen Walker." The two adult men shook hands while the three ´sat down. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

"No thank you…" The man took a bunch of papers from his briefcase and laid them on the table in front of him. "Now. My name is Philip. Philip Benjamin and I'm a case worker at the social services. And sometimes when a child like you can't live with their parents I take care of them. And I take them somewhere they can live called a foster home or a care home. Sometimes it's only temporary like the mummy or daddy had gotten sick or travelled away. And sometimes permanently when a child, like you can't live with their parent or guardian."

"Not like me." Alex shook his head. "My mum left me but I still have my dad and I can live here and my dad's the best."

Philip turned towards Stephen and probably knew that there had been no way for him to explain to Alex what was about to happen.

These times were hardest.

"Son…" Stephen started and made Alex look at him. Knowing still that nothing he could say would make this okay. "You do know I work a lot. You know I work so much I can't always take care of you. Sometimes I even have to go away and leave you alone."

Alex had quite liked those times. Sure, everybody would think he was too little to take care of himself but Stephen had left meals for him to heat up in the microwave, he kept everything cleaned and he could watch whatever he wanted on the TV. His school was only a hundred meters away and he kept his grades up better on his own than with his dad there to check his work.

"I know that. But I like that. And you always came home as soon as you could and then you always brought me presents. Nice presents."

"I know that…" Stephen nervously tapped his leg up and down and wiped his sweaty hands off his jeans. "…But still, a parent isn't supposed to do that. They're not supposed to leave young children on their own over and over again for several day on time."

"But you always come back."

"I know that…" Stephen wiped his hands on his jeans nervously. "…But I've still been leaving you for longer and longer every time and… My job is going to change, soon. And then I'll be gone for even longer."

"But you'll still come back. You'll still come back to me."

"That's the problem…" Stephen was getting more and more nervous, as if that was possible. "I won't be returning quickly enough for you… So…"

"I can come with you?" Alex lit up. "So I can come with you to work and we can go together?"

"No…" Stephen sighed for the hundredth time. "…but… Philip here. He found a place. And you'll be living there for a while. And I will come and visit. I promise."

"But you'll leave me there."

That was a very simple way of putting it.

"Yes."

"Then you're just like mum. She left me without coming back too."

"I'm not leaving you Alex. I promise I will come and visit you- often. And then I'll be bringing lots of great presents."

For a few moments the kitchen, the whole house was all quiet before Alex

Even Philip was quiet, trying not to remember earlier cases she'd seen when a parent had promised they'd visit. And they had once or twice and then longer and longer had passed in between the visits until at last they just didn't come again.

"…just like mum."

Anthon's solving mysteries isn't a real comic. I know nothing about comics so it's one I came up with for writing Toby's chapter ages ago.

Random fact

When I started all my chapters for writing in 2021 just like I do every year. This was the one that hadn't been updated in the longest. More exactly it was left not updated for five months and a week-I'm sorry for that.